Grimmenstein Monastery is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

of Sisters of the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many married men and women to w ...

Walzenhausen Walzenhausen is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. History The farm ''Walzenhausen'' was mentioned first in 1320. The church was built in 1638 in as little as nine months. This was the establishment of Walzenhau ...

in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. While it is located in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the buildings and grounds are a small exclave of the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden.

History

By 1378 a group of

Beguines The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take forma ...

existed at Äschach farm in the area. In 1424 the Abbot of Saint Gall Kuno von Stoffeln allowed a monastery for the laywomen to be built near the ruins of Grimmenstein Castle. By 1593 they were living under the

Rule of Saint Francis Francis of Assisi founded three orders and gave each of them a special rule. Here, only the rule of the first order is discussed, i.e., that of the Order of Friars Minor. Origin and contents of the rule Origin Whether St. Francis wrote several r ...

. In 1549 the monastery building was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt soon thereafter. In 1604 they adopted the Pfanneregger Reform as a Capuchin friary. In 1597 the

Canton of Appenzell Appenzell is a historic canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered a league with the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1411, ...

split into the catholic Appenzell Innerrhoden and the protestant Appenzell Ausserrhoden half-cantons. Because Grimmenstein was located in the town of Walzenhausen which joined the protestant Ausserrhoden, ownership of the monastery became a source of conflict. In 1870 the federal government declared that the land within the walls of Wonnenstein Friary and Grimmenstein monastery would be part of Appenzell Innerrhoden and everything outside the walls would be Appenzell Ausserrhoden. They established the daughter friary in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

in the United States. Beginning in 1953 the monastery church became the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

for Walzenhausen. In 1794 there were 14 residents of the friary. In 1940 that number was 45. In 1991 there were 21 residents and by 2001 that number had dropped to 15.

References

External links

Monastery website
{{Authority control Christian monasteries in Switzerland Religious organizations established in the 1370s Christian monasteries established in the 14th century Catholic Church in Switzerland