Grimmenstein Monastery is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of Sisters of the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis, or Franciscan Tertiaries, is the third order of the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. Francis founded the Third Order, originally called t ...

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 Walzenha ...

in the canton of

Appenzell Ausserrhoden Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. While it is located in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the buildings and grounds are a small

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the canton of

Appenzell Innerrhoden Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Inner-Rhodes, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. The seat of the government and parliament is Appenzell. It is ...

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 for ...

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 ...

. 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 () was a canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered a league with the Old ...

split into the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Appenzell Innerrhoden and the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Appenzell Ausserrhoden half-cantons. Because Grimmenstein was located in the town of Walzenhausen, which elected to join the protestant Ausserrhoden, the 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 landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

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 (building), 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 com ...

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 Christian monasteries established in the 1370s Catholic Church in Switzerland