Our Monastery Trail Stage 10 Eindhoven – Vessem

Story of the route

• Mariënhage Monastery
  Of the medieval buildings, except for some elements and foundations, almost nothing remained. A statue of Jesus was placed on the newly built church tower. At sixty metres, the Sacred Heart statue stands with its arms wide. The pose in combination with the height earned the sculpture the nickname Jesus the Reckless. The Augustinians played a major role in education. The new monastery had a grammar school and attracted boys from all parts of the country. The last Augustinians left in 2017. The monastery was sold and given a new purpose. Old functions of the church have been given a new look. You can get married, stay overnight, organise a funeral or a conference. In 2020, the renovation won the public's prize in the Building of the Year competition organised by the Association of Dutch Architects.
• Pelgrims’ Hostel Kafarnaüm
  Some brothers of the Congregation of the Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes settled in the friary to live in a different way. Not behind monastery walls, but in the middle of a village. They called their home Karfarnaüm, a reference to a place in the Holy Land. The life of the monks was characterised by rest and reflection. The building should have been sold, but brother Fons came up with a proposal to turn it into a pilgrim's hostel. The hostel is surrounded by references to pilgrimage. The edge of the ornamental garden is shaped like the letter S for Santiago. The pilgrim's hostel is a place where you can rest, prepare for your journey or talk to others after your pilgrimage. In this way, the solidarity that pilgrims feel when they are on the road has found a place in Brabant.