The monasteries in Switzerland are in the process of dissolving themselves
Markus Ries: "The monasteries in Switzerland are in the process of dissolving themselves".
The figures speak a clear language. The monasteries in Switzerland are going downhill. On Friday at the University of Lucerne, Markus Ries made people aware that there have been various waves of dissolution throughout history. And Baldegg Monastery, together with Gabriela Christen of the HSLU, presented new perspectives for monastery transformation.
"Management by providence": that's how Sr Marie-Ruth Ziegler, General Economist of Baldegg Monastery summed it up.
"We use what falls at our feet." With this pragmatic attitude, the Baldegg sisters began to make the best of the Swiss monastery deaths. They sought contact with HSLU Lucerne and started a professional strategy process. On Friday, they presented the first results.
Strong presence of the Baldegg Sisters
The 150 or so participants at the conference "History, Money and Spirit. What future for the monasteries?" at the University of Lucerne were amazed by the strong presence of the Baldegg Sisters.
Gabriela Christen, HSLU Design & Art
With Gabriela Christen, Baldegg has brought on board a project manager who has set a strategy process in motion. The Professor of Design & Art at the HSLU is supporting Baldegg Monastery in its transformation "Path to the Future 2023/30".
Strong presence of women religious at the conference on the future of monasteries in Lucerne
11 HSLU students have developed new architectural projects for the Baldegg Convent Motherhouse. The modern building by Marcel Breuer is a listed building. The challenge of reconciling new forms of use with the limited possibilities of a conversion is great. Nevertheless, the variety of projects for conversion was convincing on Friday.
There is the idea of an "Anthropozoic Ark". It is a humane transit centre for asylum seekers designed as a greenhouse. A "prison of the future" could become a monastery. Or also "Future and Heritage", which means a landscape with artistic interventions.
"A place of power as a power plant!"
But the General Chapter of the Baldegg Sisters has decided on another project, which is being pursued. It is called "A place of power as a power station!" by Mario Tschopp. This is not about conversion but about rethinking. Tschopp, an architecture student, proposes a "substantialisation of the monastery".
The model of Baldegg Monastery
The idea is to strike a balance between "transience and reoccupation", as Karin Ohashi from the Institute of Architecture HSLU explained. She provided a fascinating insight into the project work of the 11 students. One of the most important insights from this architecture lab was that it doesn't take extensive renovations to breathe new life into a monastery. Rather, it is a matter of "rethinking and reorienting", according to Gabriela Christen.
What will happen to "Stella Matutina"?
The presentation on the reorientation of the "Stella Matutina" educational house on the Hertenstein peninsula also met with particular interest on this Friday afternoon. It also belongs to Baldegg Monastery.
Gabriela Christen presented four main topics. First of all, she said, it was about the change in society. "The house will become a spiritual centre for change in society in the sense of the UN's 17 sustainability goals," Christen lectured. She pointed out that new forms of living are also being tried out at Hertenstein. She also spoke about agroecology and permaculture. And as a fourth topic, Christen also mentioned art, design and music: "An exciting cultural programme is being created in the house. The proximity to the Rachmaninoff Villa contributes to the profile and capacity utilisation of the facility in the musical area," said the professor of design.
KlosterNETZ.org: a digital place for networking
The Baldegger Sisters' future project is also giving rise to a new platform called "KlosterNETZ.org". Here, networks are to be created and know-how exchanged: From spirituality to building permits, the spectrum of the new network to be created ranges. Baldegg Monastery and the HSLU also offer their knowledge to other monasteries in Switzerland and serve as a kind of future monastery hub.
With a historical focus and a view to the future
The conference of 25 August 2023 on the future of monasteries was organised by Markus Ries, Church History at the University of Lucerne and by the Domestic Mission. The morning looked back into the history of Swiss monasteries. Historian Annina Sandmeier-Walt and church historian Markus Ries showed that there have already been various waves of monastery dissolution in history.
175 years since the dissolution of the monasteries in 1848 and 50 years after the abolition of the article on monasteries in the Federal Constitution, the two experts took the opportunity to review the events. The focus was on the canton of Aargau, the canton of Uri, the canton of Fribourg and the abolition of the monastery of Reichenau in 1757 by force of arms by the prince-bishop.
Monasteries in "designed self-dissolution
Markus Ries sharpened his historical work to the point that today the focus is not so much on dissolution by the state or by violent events, but on self-dissolution. "The monasteries in Switzerland are in the process of designed self-dissolution," Markus Ries emphasised.
Regula Grünenfelder focused her presentation on "trans-church ecclesiology". She showed that monastic presence and facilities need to be re-examined in the face of spatial pressure and "transcendental homelessness".
Urban Fink-Wagner, Domestic Mission
Urban Fink of the Domestic Mission also emphasised letting go. "It makes no sense to keep monasteries on artificial respiration for decades." He urged that investments in the future be judged in this light. The church historian also said, "When monasteries die, we have to learn to let go."
Cathcon: Instead of reviving religious life, which is the only solution to their problems and those of the Church, they are willing the end. The process is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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