Alberto Cutié walked away from a picturesque Spanish monastery Friday evening as a married man, attempting to leave behind seven weeks of controversy that turned the former Roman Catholic priest into tabloid fodder and international celebrity.

In an hourlong, private ceremony, Cutié, 40, said ''I do'' to the woman he has dated for two years, 35-year-old Ruhama Buni Canellis, at the historic St. Bernard de Clairvaux Episcopal Church in North Miami Beach.

The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, officiated at the wedding which featured a traditional Episcopal Mass and homily.

A handful of private guards and several North Miami Beach police cruisers were on watch at the church gate as about 50 guests, including Episcopal church priests, the couple's families and friends, were ushered in.

Clad in a white dress, Canellis arrived at 7 p.m. in a black stretch limo with tinted windows. Bridesmaids in dark red dresses sat by her side.

Dozens of reporters from local and international media staked out the church grounds in addition to many local residents aching to see the famous couple.

''I don't like the way Alberto has handled himself,'' said Maria Rivas, 62, of North Miami Beach, who had heard reports about the wedding and rushed to the church to try to get in.

`LET THEM BE HAPPY'

''It's a free world,'' remarked Victor Gutierrez, 49, of North Miami Beach. ``Let them have fun and be happy.''

Cutié legally married Canellis before a Miami-Dade County judge in a private ceremony at the Coral Gables courthouse on June 16. The couple had joined the Episcopal church in late May, and Cutié announced he had begun the process required to become an Episcopal priest.

LEFT CATHOLIC POST

Cutié left his post at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Miami Beach on May 5 after a Spanish-language celebrity magazine published photos of him entwined with Canellis on a Florida beach, a violation of his vow of celibacy as a Catholic priest.

With its lush greenery and Gothic architecture, St. Bernard de Clairvaux, commonly referred to locally as the Spanish Monastery, is one of the most popular spots in South Florida for weddings and photo shoots.

The oldest European structure in the Western Hemisphere, it was built in Segovia, Spain, in the 12th century and purchased by newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst in the early 20th century. Disassembled and shipped to this country, it was rebuilt at 16711 W. Dixie Hwy. in 1954.

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