Mater Ecclesiae (monastery)
| Mater Ecclesiæ Monastery | ||
|---|---|---|
 Exterior view |
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| Data | ||
| place | Vatican city | |
| Construction year | 1992 | |
| Coordinates | 41 ° 54 '13.5 " N , 12 ° 27' 3.9" E | |
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Mater Ecclesiae ( Latin for mother of the church ) is a monastery in the Vatican City and is located in the Vatican Gardens . It was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1994 and bears the patronage of the title of Mary Mother of the Church . The nuns living there should dedicate themselves in a special way to intercession and prayer for the Pope and the Roman Curia . Every five years it is inhabited by different women's orders, since 2009 by a convent of Salesian women . Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has also lived since 2013 . in part of the building.
Location and history
The monastery was built on the initiative of John Paul II. It is located in a quiet part of the Vatican Gardens in the immediate vicinity of the Aquilone Fountain and is partly integrated into the remains of the Leonine Wall . It consists of two parts of the building: a western one with the chapel and an eastern one with the common rooms and the twelve cells of the sisters.
John Paul II consecrated the Mater Ecclesiae monastery on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima , also the 13th anniversary of the assassination attempt on him. He was moved by the idea of having a community of nuns within the Vatican who are dedicated to intercession for the Church, the Pope and the Roman Curia in a special way. The chapel was completely rebuilt until 1994, the monastery building with a new building from 1992 on a former administration building of the Vatican gendarmerie.
A special feature is that the nuns are sent by a different order every five years . After it was founded from 1994 to 1999, there lived a convent of Poor Clares , Discalced Carmelites from 1999 to 2004 and Benedictine Sisters from 2004 to 2009 . Salesians moved into the monastery in 2009, but had to leave it temporarily in November 2012 for necessary renovations.
The sisters provide the Pope's household with fruit, vegetables and fresh flowers. Necessary work on the papal cassocks , embroidery and other handicrafts are done by the nuns. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cabbage, herbs and mint are grown in the gardens. The nuns cook jam from the fruits of the lemon and orange trees. What is not needed for their own needs or by the papal household, the nuns pass on to church hospitals. The roses of the flower garden are also used for the altar decorations.
Entry of Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict XVI After resigning from office on February 28, 2013, he initially retired to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo . After renovations in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery , Benedict XVI returned. returned to the Vatican on May 2, 2013 and moved into the monastery building - where he was received by his successor Pope Francis - together with his four former housekeepers ( consecrated virgins of the lay association Memores Domini ) and his private secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein .
Web links
- Article from the Osservatore Romano on vatican.va , accessed February 12, 2013
- Article on ilsole24ore.com , accessed February 12, 2013
- Article on ilmessaggero.it , accessed February 12, 2013
- Article on vanityfair.it , accessed February 12, 2013
Individual evidence
- ↑ Benedict XVI. returned to the Vatican kath.net on May 2nd, 2013