Klarissenkloster Paderborn

A small convent once stood in Paderborn for nearly ninety years. The Klarissenkloster was built in 1926 to house a community of Poor Clares following the ideals of Saint Clare and Saint Francis. The nuns lived quietly, praying, working and offering spiritual support to visitors who came with requests. During the Second World War the building suffered little damage and became a temporary home for displaced nuns whose own convents had been destroyed. The community grew and the site expanded. A new church and choir were added in 1949, followed by a south wing in 1951 and a covered cloister in 1968. The nuns joined the Federation of German-speaking Poor Clares in 1963 and later founded a convent in Brno. By 2011 twelve sisters still lived in Paderborn, guided spiritually by local Franciscans. In October 2014 the last sisters moved to Salzkotten, leaving the empty buildings behind. Today the former convent houses refugees while its church remains in use. Every week a mass is celebrated there, keeping the space alive for the local community. The plain brick walls and simple chapel recall the quiet life once led inside. The surrounding streets in Paderborn show no outward sign of its religious past, yet the building quietly preserves the memory of the Poor Clares’ years of service.