Kloosterhof, Vincentiusstraat bij 3 A

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

Garden of the Mariadal convent, laid out in 1934 together with the convent and essentially unchanged since then. The garden contains, among other things, the chapel (component 4) and the Lourdes grotto (component 5), while the garden is surrounded by a wall (component 3).

Description

The garden extends to the south and southwest of the elongated convent building. The garden is surrounded by walls (east and south sides, component 3), hedges and fences (west and north sides). The northern fencing is partly historical and placed there on a scarp wall.

The garden is broadly divided into a number of rectangular 'sections'. Essentially there are five of them, from east to west as follows:

At the far eastern end, south of the church, there is a large, fairly enclosed garden. Centrally within it a roundabout with eight radiating avenues, partly lined with chestnuts. Between the avenues sections, lined with yew. The avenues afford views of various chapels and statues. On the main axis (in line with the church) at one end Joseph, at the other end a Maria chapel. Another axis affords a view of a statue of Francis. Between this geometric layout and the garden wall, on the south and east sides, there is woodland with a winding path within it, which leads past two chapels in the garden wall and a disused, blocked-up gate. Further some candle-shaped pruned beech trees. At the far northeast there is the small garden of the rectory, accessible via a wrought-iron gate.

The next section consists of a large lawn (formerly a sports field), partly lined by beech hedges. The lawn is spatially distinctly bounded by a single linden avenue to the north, a strip of shrubs and various trees to the west, the garden wall to the south and a fine avenue planted with chestnuts on both sides to the east. This naturally forms the boundary with the enclosed eastern garden. In the southwest corner a 'clump' consisting of a modest elevation with a few poplars. Here was formerly the entrance (via a tunnel) to the mother house on the Molenstraat. The chestnut avenue affords views in northerly direction of the sandstone tomb chapel with the tomb of the foundress of the congregation, Maria Raaijmakers (1781-1867). (component 4) In front of it stand roses, because the foundress named her congregation the Roselaer. The northernmost zone of this section consists of two parts: the former vegetable garden along the novitiate wing (now lawn/flowers) and a chestnut avenue lying south of that (beside the linden avenue) which leads from the tomb chapel to the concrete Lourdes grotto. (component 5) Behind the grotto a cedar. Immediately beside the grotto a weeping willow and then (see below) the entrance to the burial ground.

The next section is also largely open, but on the northern side there are some special components. First and foremost the raised burial ground, lined by conifers, with a cross-shaped path pattern and a large metal cross designed by Joost Keizer from Wouw. Behind it there are two small, post-war greenhouse complexes, one still provided with the old heating system including chimney. The entrance to the greenhouses is marked by two brick pillars. The section is further occupied, among other things, by small fruit and flower beds; the southern part is open and is closed off with pollarded trees. The northernmost zone, between burial ground and Vincentiusstraat, is occupied by an orchard and a car park (laid out between 1990-2000).

This section borders on an elongated pond which itself, by virtue of its size, forms the fourth section. The pond was used for boating and as an ice rink. Around 1975 an island was created in the pond.

The last, incidentally very large section is formed by the large orchard.

Valuation

The garden of Mariadal convent, laid out in 1934 and scarcely altered since then, is of general interest by virtue of:

typology, namely the layout characteristic of a teaching congregation in which three functions are combined, namely: recreation and contemplation in the eastern section (with a structure, planting and furnishing attuned to it); recreation and sport (pond, sports field); agriculture (gardens, orchards, greenhouses);

the elements characteristic of cloister gardens such as enclosure, burial ground and Lourdes grotto;

the rarity of such relatively large, well-preserved inner-city cloister gardens; the rarity of a large-scale layout with geometric motifs at a convent;

the beauty of the layout, partly due to the contrast between the enclosed garden section behind the convent and the more economically motivated components such as vegetable gardens and orchards.