Monastery of Sisters of Consolation (Rajhrad)

The Convent of the Sisters Consolers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rajhrad, near Brno, is a monastic complex built by the sisters themselves between 1924 and 1929 on land bought from the local Benedictines. It is a completely separate institution from the well-known Benedictine abbey standing in the same town — a female religious community founded in the early 20th century to care for the sick, the suffering, and the elderly, rather than for the contemplative monastic life associated with the abbey.

Who founded the congregation?

The driving force behind the community was Marie Rosa Vůjtěchová (1876–1945), who had previously belonged to the Congregation of the Merciful Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo. Her experience caring for the sick led her to establish a new, penitential religious congregation. The project received strong backing from Pavel, Count Huyn, the Bishop of Brno at the time, and the Congregation of the Sisters Consolers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus received formal approval in 1915.

Why did the sisters build a convent in Rajhrad specifically?

The congregation's original seat was in Brno, on Šeříková Street. After the end of World War I, this house proved too small for the growing community. The sisters decided to build a new motherhouse in Rajhrad — and, notably, they built much of it with their own hands between 1924 and 1929. The land for the project was purchased from the local Benedictines, whose abbey has dominated the town's skyline for centuries. The presence of two distinct religious communities side by side — the male Benedictine abbey and the female consoler convent — is one of Rajhrad's lesser-known quirks, easily confused by visitors unfamiliar with the local history.

What does the community do today?

The convent complex in Rajhrad still carries out the caregiving mission at the heart of its founding charism. It houses a home for the elderly, the House of Mother Rosa, named after the congregation's founder. In the former convent garden, on the site once occupied by a military facility, a palliative care house together with St. Joseph's Hospice was established at the end of the 1990s. Since 2007 this facility has been run by the Rajhrad regional Catholic charity (Rajhradská oblastní charita). During the summer months, the convent also welcomes people seeking spiritual quiet and a deeper religious life, its calm setting lending itself to retreats and a break from everyday noise.

What should visitors know before coming?

Visitors to Rajhrad often associate the town solely with its Benedictine abbey, yet the convent of the Sisters Consolers stands right nearby and has an entirely different story to tell — a 20th-century, charity-driven history tied to care for the sick, rather than a medieval monastic tradition. It is a worthwhile stop for anyone interested in the more recent history of the Catholic Church in Moravia and the role of women's religious congregations in social care.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same place as the Benedictine abbey in Rajhrad? No. These are two separate religious institutions standing in the same town — the male Benedictine abbey with a medieval tradition, and the much younger, 20th-century convent of the female Sisters Consolers congregation.

When was the Sisters Consolers' convent built? The convent building was erected between 1924 and 1929, although the congregation itself had already been formally approved in 1915, while still based in Brno.

What does the congregation do in Rajhrad today? It runs a home for the elderly (the House of Mother Rosa) and, on the site of the former convent garden, St. Joseph's Hospice and palliative care house, managed since 2007 by the local diocesan charity.

Who founded the Sisters Consolers congregation? Marie Rosa Vůjtěchová, a former Sister of Mercy of St. Charles Borromeo, with the support of Pavel Huyn, Bishop of Brno.