Mariä Heimsuchung

Atop a hill overlooking Fribourg, Switzerland, sits the Mariä Heimsuchung, a testament to faith and resilience. The Mariä Heimsuchung, also known as the Visitation Monastery, isn’t just a beautiful building. It holds within its walls centuries of stories, echoing with the whispers of nuns who dedicated their lives to service and prayer. The Mariä Heimsuchung’s story begins in Annecy, France, in 1610, with the founding of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. This order, inspired by the biblical Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, emphasized helping the poor, sick, and needy. Amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, in 1635, seven Visitation sisters sought refuge in Fribourg. They found a welcoming community and in 1651 received permission to establish a monastery. Construction of the Mariä Heimsuchung began in 1653, led by architect Jean-François Reyff. The church itself was completed in 1656. An interesting tale surrounds the construction. It’s said Reyff’s stepdaughter, Catherine Elisabeth Ratzé, yearned to join the order but her family lacked the necessary dowry. Reyff, through his dedication to the church’s construction, is believed to have secured her entry into the order. The sisters themselves played a vital role in building their sanctuary. They labored tirelessly, even turning a wheel to hoist sandstone from the Saane River, carrying stones, and working on the vaulting. Their hands-on approach continued centuries later, when in the 1970s, they helped restore the church, including its ceiling paintings. The Mariä Heimsuchung weathered another storm during the French Revolution. The monastery provided shelter to aristocratic women resisting revolutionary ideals. However, the Helvetic Republic authorities confiscated the monastery’s assets, placing it under state control. The Visitation nuns, resilient as ever, turned their focus to education, running a girls’ boarding school until 1922. Today, the Mariä Heimsuchung still stands. Its library, a treasure trove of 17th- to 19th-century texts on theology, order history, and Salesian spirituality, has been entrusted to the Canton of Fribourg, ensuring its preservation and accessibility. The sisters, their numbers now fewer, continue to live within these hallowed walls, a living link to a rich past and a testament to enduring faith.