Sint Anna Boarding School - Oudenbosch

The Sint Anna convent was founded in 1837 by Father Willem Hellemons from Oudenbosch. He brought the Franciscan Sisters, a sisterhood from Roosendaal, to the village with a clear goal: to establish a school for girls and an orphanage for poor children. The convent came under the protection of Saint Anna, the mother of Mary and traditionally a symbol of loving care within the family. Above the entrance gate, a sandstone statue of Saint Anna still watches over the building.

The Sisters of Saint Anna quickly grew into a thriving educational congregation. In addition to their work in Oudenbosch, schools and institutions were established in 27 locations throughout the Netherlands. Around 1850, the first sisters even moved to Suriname, and later education and care were also organised in Africa. Although there are now only a few Sisters of Saint Anna active in the Netherlands, their work lives on. In Kenya, 170 sisters are committed to education and care on a daily basis. The order's headquarters, the generalate, is now located in Nairobi.

Photo: ©Brabant Partners