Mater Ecclesiae Monastery

Mater Ecclesiae Monastery
Monastero Mater Ecclesiae
	Location on a map of Vatican City
Monastery information
Order	Poor Clares et al.
Established	c. 1990
Dedicated to	Mary, Mother of the Church
Diocese	Rome
People
Founder(s)	Pope John Paul II
Important associated figures	Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Architecture
Functional status	private residence
Groundbreaking	1992
Completion date	1994; renovated 2012-2013;
Site
Coordinates	41°54′14″N 12°27′04″E / 41.90389°N 12.45111°E

The Mater Ecclesiae Monastery (Latin for "Mother of the Church" dedicated to Mary) is a monastery in Vatican City. It was founded around 1990 by Pope John Paul II as a monastery for cloistered nuns who pray specifically for the health of the pope. Various cloistered orders are invited to take up residence for a time. From his resignation in 2013 until his death in 2022, it served instead as the residence of Pope Benedict XVI. In 2023, Pope Francis returned it to its monastic purpose with an invitation to Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Scholastica in Victoria, Argentina.^[1]

^ "Pope returns Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to use by contemplative nuns". USCCB. Retrieved 14 November 2023.

[1] "Pope returns Mater Ecclesiae Monastery to use by contemplative nuns". USCCB. Retrieved 14 November 2023.

[1]