Exploring the Mariannhill Monastery near Pinetown
Who would’ve thought, that just a short 10 minute drive from the industrial sights and sounds of Westmead just outside Pinetown, there lies a place of spiritual peace and tranquility. Turn of the century buildings grace the 35 acres of land that was once home to the largest Trappist settlement in the world!
Established by the Prior Wendelin (Francis) Pfanner and some 31 Trappist volunteers in 1882. Amongst the volunteers were craftsmen and tradesmen that quickly got to work clearing the surrounding bush and putting up buildings, including a mill and turbine on the Umhlatuzana River.
By 1884 some 200 acres of land had been made arable by the 85 brothers now living at the order and in 1885 the Marionhill became an Abbey with Pfanner as it’s first Abbot.
Interestingly, the very first Zulu newspaper, the “Izindaba Zabantu” was published in the orders printing press in 1911. The paper later changed it’s name to “Umafrika” in 1929 and continues to be printed to this day.
The Abbot Pfanner didn’t stop there, he travelled throughout Natal and established a number of new missions including Reichenau at Polela. This active missionary lifestyle was in conflict with the order’s monastic leanings and so Pfanner resigned as Abbot after being suspended! Pfanner passed in 1909 and is laid to rest in the Marionhill cemetery.
Today the site contains a monastery and church, many workshops, as well as the sisters convents and the Jabulani Self Help center, St. Francis College and St.Joseph’s Cathedral.
Down the road is St.Mary’s hospital with some 300 beds and a maternity section. The hospital gets it’s origins from the 5 mission helpers, young ladies that tended to the sick and infirm in the villages and kraals surrounding the mission, with the hospital eventually opening in 1922.
Visitors can join a tour (book ahead) that delves into the history of the order and the buildings, visiting the original printing press as well as the still active woodworking workshops. There is also a small museum housing name of the orders artfects.as well as a very comprehensive visitors center.
If open, the tea garden offers a small selection of treats but it is worth phoning ahead to check.
Information courtesy of Shelldon Wells – Country and Coastal Touring
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