The Augustinian order is getting ready for the future.
The Maria Eich monastery in Planegg is to be expanded and modernized on a large scale.
Planegg
- The Augustinian order has to face new challenges.
The number of friars has continued to decrease in the past few years; there are currently seven convents in the Bavarian-German province with currently 44 friars.
Most recently, the convent of the Germershausen monastery had to close in 2019 due to a lack of offspring.
The times when Augustinian communities comprised 20 or 30 brothers are over, says Brother Christian Rentsch, prior of the Maria Eich monastery.
In future there will be small, family communities.
Sustainable, easy to care for and barrier-free
They are also trying to take this into account with the redesign and renovation of the Planegger monastery; it should be sustainable, easy to care for and barrier-free. “With as few hallways and corridors as possible”, as Father Felix Meckl, procurator of the monastery, explained at a press conference on Thursday. The old building of the monastery from the 1950s is to be completely renovated and new windows, doors and supply lines are to be given; There is no need to replace the heater for cost reasons. The building in the southwest of the property is to be demolished and new buildings are to be replaced. A renovation would not make sense here, according to the prior. The building with rooms facing north has no basement, is poorly insulated and devours a third of the monastery's heating costs. In winter you can only sleep there in a sheep's wool sweater.
New prayer room
The concept of the Graefelfingen architect Clemens Pollok envisages an extension in the west of the monastery with a continuous corridor.
The refectory and living room are to be housed in the ground floor building in future.
A prayer room clad with wooden slats with a skylight forms the end.
Another two-storey building with four apartments for friars will be built at right angles to this.
Lots of space for novices
In the future, the old building of the monastery will primarily offer space for novices.
This was also an important reason for the renovation, emphasized Prior Christian Rentsch.
Maria Eich has been a novitiate convent since 2013, in which would-be Augustinians live as confreres in the monastery and can try out the monastic existence.
Because of the renovation work, the novitiate has currently moved to Berlin.
Up to four novices will find space on the upper floor of the converted old building.
A library and a seminar room will be set up on the ground floor.
Construction costs skyrocketed
The costs for the renovation and expansion would be in the low single-digit million range, it said.
At least with a three before the decimal point, as architect Pollok revealed.
Because the costs for building materials and trades have exploded lately - for wood, for example.
And the expansion should be carried out as ecologically as possible in a mixed construction of wood and concrete.
A solar thermal system is to be installed on the flat roofs, and rainwater harvesting and the construction of a cistern are also planned.
The latter is only necessary in order to be able to provide sufficient extinguishing water in the event of a fire.
Generous donors
The majority of the construction costs, around 60 percent, want to cover the convent and Augustinian province themselves; the diocese has promised a good 20 percent. Generous donations come from the Edith-Haberland-Wagner-Foundation, including the majority owner of the Augustiner-Bräu, which is on friendly terms with the monastery. The Order of the Sisters of Mercy also supports the project financially. They hope and continue to rely more and more on donations, said Father Felix Meckl. The monastery is happy that the building permit has finally been available since the beginning of May. Construction on the major project is scheduled to start on September 6th, and completion is targeted for May / June 2023.
Then, by the way, the monks can look forward to their own sauna.
A private donor, who obviously cares about the well-being and health of the monks, insisted that she should not save them under any circumstances.
The lady takes over the financing of the sweat bath.
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Presented the conversion and expansion plans: (from left) Father Alfred Issing, here with a model of the new prayer room, Father Felix Meckl, brother Christian Rentsch with a model of the new monastery complex (the two new structures on the right) and architect Clemens Pollok. Photos: Dagmar Rutt
© Dagmar Rutt
List of rubric lists: © Dagmar Rutt