It is an unusual real estate proposal: assets of more than 136,000 square meters (34 acres), including 11,664 square meters (125.550 square feet) and 130 rooms. Between Lake Constance and Ulm, Benedictin Nuns are looking for someone to buy their convent from Ebeye of St. Erntrad near Caleinarid, south of Baden-Vurtembourb. Price: only under € 5 million ($ 5.9 million).
Sister Eva-Maria confirms this fact on the telephone but declines epophoftyly to give details. “At this time, we are not saying much about it,” she says. The convent has a welcome and informative website, in which a main picture shows more sisters than living there. In 2018, the convent still had 19 nuns.
The previous one came there in 1924, and the convent was officially established after two years. Now, in 2024, the details of the simple 100-year anniversary ceremony can be found on the same page as the recently renovated guest wing has been closed. According to expert estimates, even the sale of large buildings will not bring any great profit for order, as construction of suitable housing for the remaining nuns will be expensive.
An increasing trend
The desired sales of the Caleinerid Convent attracts notice due to their advertisement with a commercial agent, which is distinctive in Suke Properties. But this is not just one of their baby. Every year, dozens of monasteries and content in Germany are both large and small, being closed. According to data from the German conference of Senior Orders (DOK) in Germany, which represents Catholic orders in Germany, the number of convicts in Germany fell from 1,627 to 964 in the 10 -year daughter period.
Traditionally, there are always more nuns and content than monks and monasteries in Germany, not at least because in the Catholic Church, women are prevented from being deaf, priests or bishops.
In 2004, the country’s female order was 26.370 members and the male order 5: 108 according to Dock. Ten years later, there were 17.513 women and 4.370 male, and in 2024 there were only 9.467 females and 3.161 men. The number of female orders was at its peak in 1960 at the end of the second world, when there were more than 93,000 members.
Many contributors contributors
Dock deputy chairman Maria Thoma Dicko believes the numbers have declined. For one, he told DW, the binding force of the church is reduced. So said that it was now rare to find a family with many children, which flew a lot.
And there is another factor that he believes is important. “In earlier times, women were barely able to study, and it was difficult for them to find jobs in private ventures, which used to play responsibility,” she said, while in religious ore they search for opportunities. For 10 years, she herself has been “better general of”Heiligenstadt School Sisters“An order that is ready for social care.
Dicko said that in his order, bees were active in Mozambic for a long time. “Many young women join there,” she said. “And there, I feel that this step today is a real opportunity for young women, which should be about a difference, which should be about the children being late, and there is a profession instead.”
In the order of women, the number has fallen in many countries, said, the names of France, Spain, Poland, Canada, America and Australia, others. Even though a second pop in succession has now emerged from a religious order, the search organizations still appear in crisis.
The rapid decline in Germany, which has given almost several orders, has some consequences against society. In recent years, orders have been handed over to schools or hospitals that they used to run dioses, or even charitable associations or private organizations for a long time.
Especially in rural areas with Catholic-discomfort such as Eifel, Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, many convicts and monasteries have been released in the previous decades. They are famous at the Iffel in the North-East and Westlian pilgrimage destination of Daseldorf in the north-east of the trapist Mariaveld Abe, Franciscan Hardenbig-Navigs Math. It should be noted that the trend has also been seen with Protestant Churches, with only some Mathvasi communities. Today, the proud house of Kaiserworth Decoration to the north of Daseldorf is a four -star hotel.
A familiar convent or farewell to the monastery is often a painful for the affected people. Franciscan Father Demian Begar, who lived in the Hardenburg-Navigs Math, expressed it to a Catholic media outlet years ago katholisch.de: “In the navigs, I came to know about Franciscons. I joined the order there; I was a pastor there; I was a minister there. It hurts Herli.”
‘A liberation as well’
Sister Maria Thoma has not kept it to a great extent. But, he said, farewell to the nun was still painful. “Very good, sensitive and time consuming support is necessary,” he said. But Mother Superior said that the search steps were sometimes “as a liberation as well.” He said that “we were aware of the very successful examples with the sisters that say: We were very happy when we sold the final piece of our property. There were a lot of concerns from our shoulders.” He said that his own convent in Heiligenstadt was “ready to try something new” and had already cleaned a story and gave it a pension to the provider of disabled care.
This example fits well with an expert Ulrik daily idea on the conservation of existing buildings, unlike the construction of new buildings. From Business Specialis in Convention.
Rose has worked with St. Hildegard’s Big Benedictin Abbey in Abbingon, once in a number of more than 100 sisters and currently 33, Oberzel Franciscons convent in Vurjberg as well as other borean conventions. This is “thinking so meaningful about the future of buildings with sisters and working towards permanent solutions,” said Rose.
If it was possible to preserve the original substance of a convent, it could be of profit for an entire area, said Rose. Foy Locals have a affection and monastery in the form of a affection, whether they join the church or not, they said, before connecting communal residential projects launched by housing associations, the vacancy for cultural and educational activities or people looking for peace and peace and spiritual support can be installed well with all the houses.
“Today we are talking about prize property, big mother’s homes, as well as jagir or small palace,” said Rose, Rose, who gifts or quotes gifts for gifts.
‘Openness needs’
Rose said that despite the changed circumstances, a convent community has the ability to exist “with the age of sisters, but with their openness.” He said that for many sisters, it was easy to complete a complex to eliminate a crisis status than allowing strangers to use a building with the subject. The grandeur of some buildings was often, in fact, there was a burden, he said. “The important thing is that people need to be open to help,” said Rose.
According to roses, the time to work on the solution is necessary. But, he said, it was possible to come with the projects that took into account the wishes of the convent and maintained the common good. “Clever architectural solutions can work to preserve the living space of sisters and distribute the burden of maintenance on many shoulders,” he said.
This article was translated from German.
When you are here: Every Tuesday, what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.