26

Abdij O.L. Vr. van Koningsoord

Johannahoeveweg 79

6816 VG Arnhem

Nederland

[31] 26-44 64 886

Moeder Benedict Thissen, Abdis 1994

Abbey

Archidioecesis Ultraiectensis (Utrecht)

[NED]

1937

Founded by N.D. de la Paix, Chimay. Erected as an abbey from the moment of foundation (15 July 1937). Transferred from Berkel to Arnhem 8 May 2009.

As early as 1928 Dom Simon Dubuisson, abbot of Tilburg, envisaged the possibility of a foundation of Cistercian nuns in Holland, seeing the number of postulants who presented themselves. He sent them to La Paix (Chimay) for their formation and in 1933 the general chapter authorized the foundation. Accordingly the site was purchased and the construction of the monastery begun under the solicitude of Tilburg, who accepted the paternity of the new house and saw to its establishment and eventually its maintenance.
At the beginning of 1937 the work was sufficiently advanced so that a group of nuns could establish themselves there. Finally on 16 July 1937, with the requisite authorizations, the more than 40 founders began the regular monastic life. The house had already been erected as an abbey by a bull dated 10 March 1937. The founders made their stability, and the next day elected their first abbess, M. Gertrude Demarrez, who was already abbess of La Paix, but who resigned at La Paix, in order to take charge of the new foundation.
During the war from 1940-1945, the monastery suffered much. In particular, in September 1942 the Nazi police came to arrest 3 nuns with Jewish heritage, blood-sisters, and their three brothers, monks of Tilburg, and took them away, except one of the sisters who was too sick... and they were never heard from again. In the Journal of the State of 1950 they were declared dead at Auschwitz in1942.

1937, 6 October: consecration of the church.
1952 in December the first group of 6 were sent to the foundation of Maria Frieden in Germany, near Aix-la-Chapelle.
1953 another group was sent to Maria Frieden, and the foundation, approved by the general chapter, began 8 December 1953.
1954 important reinforcements were sent to N.D. d'Altbronn (Baumgarten).

2009, 6 October: consecration of the new church at Arnhem.

Maria Frieden (1953), Butende (1964)

Tilburg

Abdijgroep Koningsoord

The Löb sisters

Gertrudis DEMARREZ  ---  Abbess  ---  16/07/1937 - 06/09/1958

Godelieve HOOYMANS  ---  Abbess  ---  06/09/1958 - 08/09/1964

Rafaël HINKENKEMPER  ---  Abbess  ---  08/09/1964 - 22/04/1982

Ermelindis DE GROOT  ---  Abbese  ---  24/06/1982 - 02/01/1994

Bookbinding, liturgical vestments

15 rooms

Station : Oosterbeek (1 km); Arnhem (7 km)