Three elderly nuns in Austria have broken into a castle that used to be their convent home.
They fled from the retirement home where the Archdiocese of Salzburg had sent them when the convent also known as a monastery, was closed down nearly two years ago.
The Augustinian sisters, all in their 80s, claim they were placed in the home against their will.
That’s despite it being a similar-looking castle with everything most nuns would want in a retirement facility.
It even had their same Catholic order.
It just wasn’t like home
HISTORY OF NUNS’ CASTLE HOME
The castle known as Schloss Goldenstein had served as a girls’ private school and religious community since 1877.
It was taken over by the Archdiocese of Salzburg and the Reichersberg Abbey in 2022.
Sister Bernadette, 88, who first entered the convent as a student in 1948, said they were moved to the nearby Catholic care facility in December 2023, without being consulted.
“We weren’t asked. We had the right to stay here until the end of our lives and that was broken,” she was quoted as saying.
Sister Regina, 86, joined the convent in 1958 and eventually became the headmistress of the school.
Sister Rita, 82, arrived in 1962 and, like the others, spent decades teaching at the institution.
GRANTING OF LIFELONG RESIDENCE RESCINDED
The school, which began accepting boys in 2017, remains operational.
But by 2023, only the three nuns were left.
They were granted lifelong residence rights at the convent, conditional on their physical and mental health.
The provost of Reichersberg Abbey and the sisters’ new superior, later determined that independent living at the castle was no longer viable and arranged for their transfer to the retirement home.
FORMER STUDENTS HELP THEIR OLD TEACHERS’ BREAK-IN
The nuns said they had long felt uncomfortable and out of place at the care home.
Sister Bernadette said she would rather die alone in a field than spend her final days in the retirement facility.
The sisters were hugely respected by students they taught at the convent school.
Some of those former students helped them escape from the retirement home and break into Schloss Goldenstein, with the assistance of a locksmith.
SISTERS MOVE BACK INTO THEIR OLD ROOMS
After they broke into the convent, they brought in generators and water canisters and began restoring their former home.
A stream of visitors, including many former pupils, brought them food, medicine and other supplies.
The three nuns now occupy their old rooms, which had been stripped of electricity, water and even the stairlift used to navigate the steep staircase.
HUNDREDS OF GOODWILL MESSAGES CHEER ON THE NUNS
In videos posted to Instagram, they are seen praying, eating meals together and climbing the stairs unaided.
In one video, Sister Rita challenged viewers to a race to prove her mobility.
Their posts have drawn widespread support, with hundreds of messages cheering them on.
A doctor carries out regular health checks
“THESE NUNS CHANGED SO MANY LIVES IN SUCH A GOOD WAY”
Former student, Sophie Tauscher, said: “Goldenstein without the nuns is just not possible.”
“When they need us, they just have to call us and we will be there, for sure.”
“The nuns here changed so many lives in such a good way.”
Alisha, another student said the nuns always recognised old pupils.
AUTHORITIES NOT IMPRESSED BY SISTERS’ ACTIONS
The provost of Reichersberg Abbey said the sisters’ return was “completely incomprehensible,” and described it as “an escalation.”
He insisted that the care home had provided them with “absolutely essential, professional, and good medical care.”
He claimed the convent’s current condition made it unsuitable for elderly residents and that the nuns’ wishes regarding the school’s operation had already been considered.
The Austrian Conference of Religious Orders has supported the provost, saying the convent’s condition makes it unfit for habitation.
NUNS ARE DETERMINED TO STAY
However, the sisters remain defiant and appear determined to stay.
They said they do not view themselves as squatters or intruders, but as rightful residents reclaiming their home.
They have not received any formal notice to leave and have continued to receive visits from former students and supporters.
Their most recent video shows them at prayer in a small chapel within the convent.
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