The main building of the Abbey College St-Maurice is taken over by the Canton of Valais. But this still needs the approval of the Great Council and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Apostolic Life in Rome. The sales total is ten million francs, around 9.2 million euros.
On September 22nd, a corresponding agreement was signed between the canton of Valais and the Abbey of Saint-Maurice. The sale is scheduled for January 1, 2022.
The rooms in the building that until recently housed the boarding school are being converted into classrooms. The proceeds from the sale of the college will be fully invested by the abbey in converting the boarding school into classrooms in order to maintain the quality of the teaching.
Since the nature of the classrooms and their size no longer meet today’s needs, the canton will invest 35 million francs in the renovation of the entire site, which will eventually accommodate 1,250 students.
The agreement was signed by the Valais State Councilor Christophe Darbellay, Abbot Jean Scarcella and the Procurator of the Abbey of St-Maurice, Olivier Roduit.
Historic decision
The sale marks a major turning point in the life of the abbey. In the past, a large part of the faculty consisted of clergymen. Today there are still three priests among the hundred teachers who work in the facility. This situation caused the abbey to redefine its role in an agreement with the state of Valais. The canton will take over the administration and full operation of the abbey college on January 1, 2022.
The “Lycée-Collège de l’Abbaye de Saint-Maurice”, which has been recognized as an official institution by a decision of the Cantonal Council since 1806, still plays a central role in high school education in the Canton of Valais.
The Territorial Abbey of St. Maurice is a member of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (SBK), i.e. the abbot of St. Maurice is a member of the SBK like the abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Einsiedeln.
(cath.ch – mg)
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