Cardinal Woelki laying the foundation stone for the new Klarissenkloster. Photos: Caritas/Jürgens
From 1918 to 1925, the monastery on Kalker Kapellenstraße, which is now a listed building, was built according to the designs of architect Ernst Horst, who was related to one of the Poor Clares sisters of the time. The Order of St. Clare has existed since the 13th century and was founded back then by Saint Clare and Saint Francis of Assisi. The monastery, based on late Baroque brick architecture, was consecrated on January 1, 1925 and operated until it was abandoned in 2013 due to a lack of young talent.
After almost four years of conflict, the city and the Archdiocese of Cologne were able to agree on the redesign of the monastery complex. On September 7, 2016, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki laid the foundation stone for the new buildings of an open residential complex for refugees and locals on the grounds of the monastery complex. In the following months, 31 apartments of various sizes and layouts with a total of more than 2,500 square meters of living space were built. The project is being implemented together with the Aachen Settlement and Housing Association, the Caritas Association for the City of Cologne, the “Good Hand” Foundation and the City of Cologne.
In his address at the laying of the foundation stone, Cardinal Woelki made it clear what significance the implementation of the “Klarissenkloster” project has for society in the context of the refugee crisis:
Many people are afraid of “foreigners” who come to us. But when you get to know “the strangers,” at some point they are no longer strangers. If “the stranger” becomes my immediate neighbor and I deal with him every day, I will be able to understand him in the end and he will understand me too. That is the form of living together that we want to strive for here in the Poor Clares Monastery.
In order to enable “strangers” to integrate and live integration during the construction phase, the refugees were able to actively support the building. Under the leadership of Polier Neuhausen, five young men were involved who fled their home countries.
With their active support, the construction phase picked up steam, and despite language barriers, the German standards and Polier Neuhausen's instructions became a habit after a short time: “At first I thought it would be difficult, but after a day and a half, we were a team.” (Source: https://www.ksta.de/25337614 ©2017)
A wonderful quote from Clare of Assisi, as well as the laying of the first cement tiles in the monastery.
The existing buildings also worked hard, the plaster was knocked off the walls and floors were torn out. Mr. Pisar was then brought cement tiles on board by Mosáico to plan the redesigned floors. After intensive consultation, in the showroom and also on site, the appropriate tiles, their patterns and colors were identified and commissioned.
The physical well-being was also well taken care of; after hard work, a good meal is worth its weight in gold. Photos: Caritas/Jürgens