- The Poor Clares of Bautzen say goodbye - Dissolution of the monastery
The Cistercian monastery in Bautzen, Saxony, opens its doors to visitors for the last time this Saturday, marking the end of the convent with a service and a celebration in honor of its patron saint. Before they return to their secluded lives, visitors can meet the nuns who have decided to leave their nearly century-old monastery due to an insurmountable crisis and unresolved conflicts, despite all efforts to reach a compromise.
The eight Bautzen sisters of the Order of the Eternal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament are dispersing. Three will join the Nazareth sisters in Goppeln near Dresden, and three others will move to the Cistercians in Dingolfing, Bavaria. Another sister plans to live in the order's founding monastery in France, while the youngest nun has decided to leave her vows and pursue a different path.
In their farewell letter, the sisters express their regret for not being able to resolve the conflicts that led to the dissolution of their community, describing it as a "bitter experience of failure." Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers praised their work through challenging times, serving the people and the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, guided by the examples of St. Francis and St. Clare.
The Cistercian sisters are currently seeking new living arrangements, with three moving to the Nazareth sisters in Goppeln, three to the Cistercians in Dingolfing, and one opting to live in the order's founding monastery in France. Despite their relocation, the building that housed the Cistercian monastery in Bautzen will no longer serve as a convent after this Saturday.
