Catholic Men Lock Down Nuns’ Manuscripts, Close Convent For Real-Estate Purposes
In the fall of 2015, historians visiting the Altomünster Abbey outside Munich found in its library “at least 500 books, including precious illuminated manuscripts from the 16th century, chants used by the uniquely women-led Bridgettine Order and processionals bursting with colorful religious and ornamental decoration in their margins.†Not long afterwards, the Vatican decided to close the convent, which has only one nun left, and put the entire collection on lockdown, and the Munich archdiocese refuses to let researchers near it. And why was the convent closed? It sits on very valuable land: never forget that the Roman Catholic Church cares hugely about two things: preserving its patriarchy and enhancing the value of its material (real estate, artwork) assets.
