Bonlanden Monastery
The Bonlanden Monastery is the motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady ( OSF ) in Bonlanden, a suburb of the Berkheim an der Iller community in the Biberach district in Upper Swabia . The monastery was founded in 1855 and today has around 40 branches worldwide, most of them in South America.
history
In 1855 the foundation stone of the monastery building in Bonlanden was laid at the suggestion of Pastor Faustin Mennel , who came from Hüttenweiler near Wangen in the Allgäu . As early as November 1855, the first candidates entered the new convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Dillinger Franciscan Sisters , whose roots go back to 1241, were among the co-founders. In 1859 the independence of the monastery was recognized by the church. The foundation stone for the monastery church was laid in 1864, the buildings in their current form were completed in 1886. From the very beginning, the convent operated a home for children, to which the St. Agnes Girls' Institute in Riedlingen in 1902, the St. Josef children's home in Hürbel in 1908, the St. Hildegard daughter's school in Ulm in 1921 and the St. Adelindis women's labor school in Buchau in 1922 were connected as branches. In 1926 further branches were added with the housekeeping school Maria Rast in Obertalheim and the Franziskusheim in Schwenningen. In the same year the monastery began its missionary work by sending sisters to Argentina. While most of the German branches have been closed or transferred to other carriers, numerous South American branches have been added over the years. The monastery is now the parent company of around 40 branches with a focus on South America, especially Brazil , Paraguay and Argentina .
activities
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The Franciscan Sisters of Bonlanden maintain a conference center and a crib museum in the monastery. They continue to run the St. Hildegard Catholic Free Girls School in Ulm , the Franziskusheim, a center for the elderly, and a day-care center in Villingen-Schwenningen . In addition, the monastery initiates social and church work in South America , such as B. through schools for children from all walks of life, the management of literacy courses for adults and work with young people in day care centers, homes and slums.
Nativity scene exhibition
Since January 6th, 2006 there has been a year-round nativity scene exhibition in the old farm building . The focus of the exhibition is a simultaneous crib with 245 people and 124 depictions of animals on an area of 160 square meters. Further nativity scenes from all over the world and from the sphere of activity of the nuns complete the exhibition.
literature
- Paul Kopf: The Franciscan Sisters of Bonlanden. Light and Shadow , Sigmaringen 1992
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 4 ′ 11 ″ N , 10 ° 4 ′ 10 ″ E