"Who is going to take over the convent one day? Only a few hear God's calling in this noisy world."
Sister Beatrice, born in 1947, joined the convent in 1969.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"It's an important search, and I am still searching."
Sister Petra, born in 1932, joined the convent in 1954.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
Daily life is structured according to the Benedictine daily schedule. There is prayer and reading, but also time for work, rest and eating.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"My boyfriend was disappointed, of course. And my brother just couldn't believe it."
Sister Raimunda, born 1937, joined the convent in 1959.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"I don't want to be a female Pope. But shouldn't we show a bit more courage?"
Prioress Irene, born in 1965, joined the convent in 1986.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
A nun's cell - a simple room with only the basic necessities.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"We sisters didn't use the familiar form of address [Du rather than Sie, in German] for many years, so that we didn't get too close. But this has all changed now."
Sister Michaela, born in 1934, joined the convent in 1957.
She is allowed to wear trousers instead of the nun's habit because she is lame in one arm and can no longer dress herself.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"I left everything behind, I even burned the photos from home one day. From then on, I never felt homesick again.
Sister Verena, born in 1938, joined the convent in 1961.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
Mass in the Convent Church, which was renovated in 1746 in the Rococo style.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"A nun who has prayed a lot during her life doesn't find dying any more easy than someone outside the convent. Letting go is a very hard process."
Sister Andrea, born in 1941, entered the convent in 1965.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
"It was hard not to have any children of my own."
Sister Matthäa, born in 1946, joined the convent in 1967.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
There are currently 20 nuns living in Fahr Convent. They are looking for new members, but they remain difficult to find.
Christoph Hammer, www.christophhammer-photography.ch
Just 20 nuns still live in Switzerland's Fahr Convent. But their future is uncertain, as they can’t find any new members. They have nevertheless called for more equality in the Catholic Church.
Christoph Hammer (photos), Ester Unterfinger (picture department), Sibilla Bondolfi (text)
Fahr ConventExternal link was founded in 1130 and is still in use – for now. There was just one novice who joined the Benedictine order in Switzerland in 2017.
Like other ordersExternal link, many Fahr Convent nuns have criticised the role of women in the Catholic Chruch and have called for more participation. “The Catholic Church only has a future if it is supported and led jointly by women and men together,” says Prioress Irene. During the Middle Ages, convents were the only way for women to gain a little bit of freedom and independence. But the Catholic hierarchy was – and remains – very patriarchal.
Convent daily life
Much about the nuns’ lives is revealed in a newly published bookExternal link. Their day is highly structured: it begins at 4:50 am and is organised right through until the evening. The nuns live according to the strict order rules. Women are expected to renounce their real names when they join the convent and take on a new name. In the book, the nuns tell how they came to make such a radical step as joining a nunnery when they were young women.
The book is being published to coincide with the 888th anniversary of the founding of Fahr Convent. All the nuns were in favour of having a book with pictures about their life in the convent. Taking part was voluntary.
Fahr Convent
Fahr Convent forms a double monastery with the monks’ monastery at Einsiedeln. It is actually located in canton Aargau but is surrounded by the municipality of Unterengstringen in the canton of Zurich, so is not far from the city of Zurich.
It makes agricultural products and wine and is also well-known for its liturgical textiles (paraments).
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Brother Thomas Fässler made the discovery while working on his thesis for his theology degree. It covers the history of the Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln, from 1934 to the present. “I work in the archive and sometimes I discover little stories that I can’t really use for my dissertation,” Fässler told swissinfo.ch. Yet it would…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.