History
The lost convent on Wilhelminasingel
The former Nazareth convent, home to the Penitent Recollectine Sisters, once stood on the site where Hostellerie Munten is now located.
The convent’s history spans from the mid-17th century to the end of the 18th century, a period marked by wars, conflict and religious persecution.
In 1662, former mayor Edius Straven submitted a request on behalf of the sisters to the Princess of Chimay, Lady of Weert, seeking permission for them to settle in Weert.
The Construction of the Convent
Permission to settle and build was granted, and four sisters initially took up residence in a property called Die Roose on Beekstraat. Thanks to an inheritance from Jan van der Croon, the sisters were able to begin constructing their convent in 1664. This was much to the displeasure of local residents, who were unwilling to sell their land.
The convent had 16 rooms and a kitchen. Upstairs were 33 cells for the sisters, two infirmaries and two large rooms. On the western side, facing Wilhelminasingel, stood a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Kevelaer.
In 1678, the sisters even built their own brewery. In 1687, they established a school and boarding school.
The present-day gateway to Hostellerie Munten on Beekstraat once provided access to the convent garden.
A Building with Many Uses
On 27 June 1713, the foundation stone was laid for the convent church on Beekstraat. The church measured 21 metres in length and almost 9 metres in width.
On 10 December 1792, the French Revolution reached Weert when French troops entered the town. Initially welcomed as liberators, the French soon became a source of bitter disappointment. The sisters were forced to surrender a large portion of their grain and three of their eight cows to the French.
They were also required to accommodate 26 soldiers.
On 26 February 1797, a commission of the French Republic, accompanied by a considerable number of soldiers, expelled the sisters from their convent.
In 1804, an attempt was made to revive the convent on Beekstraat and Wilhelminasingel, but the initiative was abandoned after a year and a half.
A description of the convent drawn up in 1803 indicates that everything was still in good condition at that time.
The convent was demolished around 1926.
The Convent Today
The convent wall on Beekstraat, near the entrance to the convent church, was demolished around 1926.
Part of the outer convent wall can still be seen between the buildings at Wilhelminasingel 262a and 264.
The now-bricked-up gateway once opened onto the southern side of the convent garden.
