Zusters Karmelietessen

Zusters Karmelietessen is a Carmelite convent in Antwerp, standing in the Rosier area between the historic city and citadel. Its church and convent buildings honour Teresa of Ávila, while Baroque forms express contemplative seclusion. Anna van Sint-Bartholomeüs founded the community after working closely with Teresa of Ávila. Four sisters established its first Mass in a rented house in the Sint-Jacobs parish. Seven women of different nationalities soon made their vows there.

The community later moved to land with small houses and an orchard, where the convent and church took shape. Cardinal-Infant Ferdinand laid the church’s foundation stone, and portraits of Archdukes Albert and Isabella remain inside. Nicaise De Keyser’s altarpiece adds a later artistic presence to the small church. An entrance gate connects the church with reception and speaking rooms inside the convent wing. The street facade forms a blind wall with a Baroque gate, making enclosure visible from outside. Imperial religious reforms suppressed the convent, and the sisters later returned before reclaiming their church.

Religious relics include Mother Anna’s preserved finger in a reliquary and her cloak. The archives preserve original permissions for the foundation, linking devotion with documentary history. The sisters lead a contemplative life of silence and prayer within restored buildings. Joseph Louis Stynen restored the convent buildings, which still carry traces of interruption and return.