Karmelitinnenkloster Bärnbach

The Karmelitinnenkloster Bärnbach is a Carmelite convent of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Bärnbach, a town in the Austrian province of Styria. It belongs to the Diocese of Graz-Seckau and is dedicated to the Holy Cross. The community is also known as the Heilig-Kreuz-Karmel. The convent was founded in 1975 by the Herz-Marien-Karmel in Mariazell. The driving force behind the new foundation was the repeated petitions of Bärnbach’s parish priest, Friedrich Zeck, who had asked the Mariazell Carmel for this foundation since 1972. At the same time, Bishop Johann Weber of Graz-Seckau persuaded the Order’s General in Rome during a visit in June 1974 to approve the establishment of a convent in the industrial area of western Styria. The building, designed by architect Fridrun Hussa, was completed in eighteen months on the site of a ruined inn near the Filialkirche Hll. Joachim und Anna. It was linked to the church by a corridor and the church itself was renovated to serve as the convent church. Today eight nuns live in the convent. The church, restored in 1976, contains the original furnishings and a new organ. The site stands on the Heiligen Berg above Bärnbach and offers views over the town and the surrounding countryside. A small garden provides a quiet place for prayer and reflection.