St. Franciscus Convent - Kralendijk, Bonaire - Abbeys, Convents and Monasteries on Waymarking.com

The building, called the Sentro di Salu Convent, now houses the management and administrative offices of Fundashon Mariadal along with their home care facilities. This foundation also operates a nursing home, a hospital and provides other medical services. The organization employs over 500 people.

The foundation dates from the year 1922, when the sisters of Roosendaal bought a villa with surrounding grounds to realize a hospital. This hospital was quickly put into use and was given the name 'San Francisco Hospital'. Almost in the same year the nuns built a monastery on the surrounding plot of land.

Some years later the hospital turned out to be too small and a new hospital was built for Bonaire. An outbuilding for elderly people was also built at this hospital. Ultimately, the demand for elderly care turned out to increase so much that the hospital accommodated more and more elderly people. 

In order to keep elderly care and health care separate, a new hospital was built again, the old hospital was turned into an old people's home and was named "Cas di Sosiego". The new hospital was completed in 1976 and is still in use today. The health care on Bonaire, which had started with two sisters in the villa, came in the seventies under a foundation set up for that purpose, at the time called "Stichting Ziekenverpleging & Elderly Care". In 1999 this name was changed to Fundashon Mariadal, or Mariadal Foundation, named after the monastery from which the sisters used to be sent to Bonaire. 

The villa is now in use for the health center "Sentro di Salú Convent" and also functions as an office for the management and administration of Fundashon Mariadal. In 2003 a new nursing home was ready. In this new building "Kas di Kuido" the more needy clients are nursed.

Source: (visit link)

Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: St. Franciscus Convent Address: Kaya L.D. Gerharts Kralendijk, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands Religious affiliation: Catholic Date founded/constructed: Around 1922 Web Site: [Web Link] Status of Use: Converted to Other Use

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