Mater Ecclesiae (

Mother of the Church Mother of the Church () is a Titles of Mary, title given to Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary in the Catholic Church, as officially declared by Pope Paul VI in 1964. The title first appeared in the 4th century writings of Saint Ambrose of Milan, as redi ...

) Abbey () is an Italian

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

territorial abbey of

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s founded in 1973. The abbey is located on

Lake Orta Lake Orta (; Lombard and ) or Cusio (Lombard and ; ) is a lake in northern Italy, west of Lake Maggiore. It has been so named since the 16th century, but was previously called Lago di San Giulio, after Saint Julius (4th century), the patron s ...

in northern Italy, considered one of the most scenic sites in the country.

History

By 1973 the community of Benedictine nuns of the

Abbey of Viboldone The Abbey of Viboldone is an abbey in Viboldone, a ''frazione'' of San Giuliano Milanese, in the province of Milan, northern Italy. History The abbey was founded in 1176 and completed in 1348 by the Humiliati, an order of monks, nuns and lay peo ...

, near

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, which had been established in 1941 to care for the needy children of wartime Italy, had grown to the point that they considered opening a new foundation. They were offered the facilities of the former

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

's residence on

San Giulio Island San Giulio Island or St. Julius Island () is the only island within Lake Orta in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. The most famous building on the island is the Basilica di San Giulio close to which is the monumental old seminary (1840s). Since 19 ...

for this, which they accepted. Six nuns were chosen to undertake this enterprise, under the direction of Mother Anna Maria Cànopi, O.S.B., who was appointed as the first prioress of the new monastery. Within fifteen years the small community had expanded so much that new quarters were needed. They then transferred to the former

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in the centre of the little island, which was a massive complex built around 1840. At that time, the monastery was raised to the status of an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

, with Cànopi being elected as the community's first

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

. The community had grown to over 80 members by 1989, and it was decided to establish a new foundation. For this site, they chose the village of Saint-Oyen, in the

Aosta Valley The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...

, where they opened the Monastery of Regina Pacis (Latin for

Queen of Peace Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

). As of 2006, they numbered about fifteen nuns. The community of Mater Ecclesiae has continued to flourish and today numbers about 100 nuns.

Crafts

The nuns of Mater Ecclesiae Abbey support themselves through their work in creating and repairing

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...

s and accessories, in writing icons and making translations from German and French spiritual books. Through their research, they have developed a reputation for the quality of their restoration work with antique items. Additionally, Cànopi, the abbess, has become a noted spiritual writer.

References

{{reflist Christian monasteries established in the 20th century Benedictine nunneries in Italy Christian organizations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Italy Buildings and structures in Orta San Giulio Territorial abbeys