Former Nazareth convent of the Franciscan Sisters of Oirschot

In 1848 the Franciscan Sisters of Oirschot moved into Borret House, the mansion to the right of the convent. At that time Borret House had already known a long history; in the 15th century it was known as Het Goed Kieboom. But it was too small for the sisters and in 1851 they started constructing a new building, and a school. A few years later they added a new chapel. More extensions followed: in 1880 the refectory was added, the rectorate was added a year later, and in 1908 a new wing was built onto the chapel. The school buildings were enlarged in 1915.
Meanwhile, the village of Gemert needed district nurses. The sisters were asked, but decided against it due to their semi-contemplative way of life.
Another congregation, the Viennese Sisters, were found willing, and after various temporary homes they found accommodation in 1920 in a wing of the Nazareth convent. The sisters stopped working as district nurses in 1936 and left Gemert. The convent was given a new look in the 1960s; the front facade was modernised in 1961 and the rear facade in 1971. A high wall was also built around the convent, even obscuring the front facade. The last Franciscan nuns left the convent in 2000. The convent and its gardens have now been converted into apartments.