Weert – Lourdes Grotto – Maria Hart Abbey

In the centre of Weert stands the Maria Hart Abbey. In the garden of the old, walled complex, a Lourdes grotto was built in 1936. This was commissioned by the cloistered nuns, under the authority of Johannes Matthias Souren (1868-1951), dean and parish priest of Weert (1930-1949) and director of the Bridgettine convent.

The grotto is constructed from erratic boulders. The Lourdes grotto not only displays the familiar statues of Mary and Bernadette Soubirous, but also a Sacred Heart statue. The grotto was restored in 2010 with the support of the province of Limburg.

In the abbey garden, alongside a Lourdes grotto, statues of Mary can be seen set into the old, high convent walls, as well as a large statue of Our Lady on a bracket. In a small chapel, many figurines have been placed on the altar. Furthermore, there is a graveyard with memorial stones of deceased Bridgettine sisters.

Since 1442, convents under the names Maria Wijngaard and Maria Hart have been established on the site of the abbey. In 1442, Third Order Franciscan sisters were housed in the convent, followed later by canonesses. In 1507, Countess Emilia of Horne (±1493–1562) entered the convent and remained there for 55 years until her death. In 1539, a chapel was built next to the convent, which was demolished in 1836.

In 1797 the sisters were driven out by the French occupiers and the buildings were confiscated and sold. Subsequently, the convent was converted into an apartment complex.

The Maria Hart Abbey was founded in 1843. A stone with the words “Maria Hart” and the year 1843, surmounted by an image of Mary with Child, is located on the right-hand side as you enter. In that year, Bridgetidine sisters arrived from Uden and several houses were purchased that had belonged to a previous convent until 1797.

In 1843 it once again became an abbey. From 1843 to 2006 the buildings formed the convent of the Bridgettine nuns, and from 1856 the complex has been an enclosed convent with a new chapel located on the street side. In an enclosed convent the sisters hardly allow any visitors.

In 2006, active young Brigittine sisters arrive at the convent. The sisters come from a convent in Rome and are going to enhance the survival of their establishment in Weert. They open up their house and garden to visitors. This means, among other things, that visitors can also come to the Lourdes grotto. The sisters open a guest house and make rooms available for this purpose. The abbey is then no longer a cloistered convent.

To obtain the necessary finances, there is not only a guest house for groups and individual visitors, but also a dining facility. In the convent kitchen, the sisters artisanally make jams, pastries and liqueurs. Their drink limoncello has become well known.

In the final month of 2025, the Lourdes Grotto was transformed into a Christmas grotto.

In 2026, it is announced that the abbey is in urgent need of maintenance, but the necessary funds are not available.

More information can be found at www.birgittinessen.nl.

Address: Abdij Maria Hart, Maasstraat 17, 6001EB Weert.

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