The monastery was founded in 1888 when five Ursuline sisters from Nijmegen arrived in Werl to establish a new branch. Nine years later, in 1897, the Werl monastery gained its independence. The first superior of the convent, M. Scholastica Bröbbering, also took on the leadership of the Ursuline Gymnasium. The original complex included a residence for the sisters and a small chapel, which, after a new consecration, was dedicated to the Queen of the Holy Rosary. The monastery was run as a family monastery, implying a high degree of autonomy in administration, admission of new members, and the election of the superior. However, the sisters' teaching activities at the higher girls' school and the Werl winter school necessitated relaxations of the monastic way of life, leading to canonical challenges regarding the recognition of its independence. It was not until 1900 that the request of Bishop Konrad Martin of Paderborn was granted by the Congregation for Religious. After 133 years, the Ursulines relocated their residence in October 2021 to the pilgrim monastery next to the pilgrimage basilica in Werl.
St.-Ursula-Stift Werl
The St.-Ursula-Stift in Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia, is a historic monastery of the Ursuline Order. Founded in the late 19th century, it was closely associated with the education of girls, as the sisters taught at the attached gymnasium. Today, it is protected as a listed building and bears witness to a long tradition of monastic life and educational work in the region.
History+
Location+
The St.-Ursula-Stift is situated in the town of Werl, which belongs to the Soest district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
On site+
The former monastery building is now a registered historical monument in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Ursuline sisters left the foundation in 2021 and relocated their convent.
Nearby+
- Kloster Werl (sacred building, approx. 516 m away)
- Herrenhaus Uffeln (Werl) (manor house and estate, approx. 1586 m away)
- Herrenhaus Westrich (Werl) (manor house and estate, approx. 2953 m away)
- Schloss Lohe (Westönnen) (castle, approx. 2989 m away)
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