page_title: Crosier Monastery, Maastricht
section_title: Dissolution of the monastery; military use
hierarchical_section_title: Crosier Monastery, Maastricht / History / Dissolution of the monastery; military use
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Kruisherenklooster: detail oostgevel (achter hek met puntdraad) ten tijde van "Rijks Landbouw Proefstation" (1897-1980). This is an image of rijksmonument number 27254
context_page_description: The Crosier Monastery or Monastery of the Crutched Friars is a former monastery of the Order of the Holy Cross in Maastricht, Netherlands. The well-preserved convent buildings house a five-star hotel, the Kruisherenhotel. It is a rare example of a Gothic monastery in the Netherlands, having survived more or less in its entirety. The buildings from the 15th and 16th century constitute three listed buildings. The more or less intact monastery archive is unique in the Netherlands.
context_section_description: The Capture of Maastricht by the French general Kléber in 1794 and the ensuing incorporation of the city in the French First Republic meant the end of all monasteries in Maastricht. In 1796 the Maastricht Crosier Monastery was dissolved. The eight priests and two friars that remained were forced to leave the monastery within one year. Under French law, those that wanted to remain active as priests had to swear the so-called Oath of Hatred (towards the monarchy and anarchy). Apparently six Maastricht Crosiers refused to do so. As a result they were deported to the penal colony Cayenne. One fled to Germany, another was allowed to return home after he got sick during the voyage, and others were pardoned 
  after interference by the Francophile barrister Charles Roemers. Prior Joseph Leurs withdrew to Sittard but was then made prior of the Crosier Monastery Sint Agatha in Cuijk in 1804, where he died two years later. This monastery led a dormant existence with a few elderly friars until the mid-19th century, when it played a key-role in the resurrection of the Order. The dissolution of the Maastricht monastery met with few protests. The institution had outlived itself.
  The former monastery buildings were given a military purpose as an arsenal and barracks for the French troops. When the French left in 1814, the Dutch garrison took over the buildings. They were used as barracks, storage for military clothing and the garrison's bakery. Although the former monastery was owned by the city of Maastricht, it was the Ministry of War that decided how it was to be used. When the city housed a cholera clinic in one of the wings, it was told that this was not in accordance with the military purpose. In the 19th century the decaying complex – the only medieval monastery that had escaped destruction – inspired local artists as Philippe van Gulpen (1792-1862) and Alexander Schaepkens (1815-1899).
caption: The "Rijkslandbouwproefstation", surrounded by fences and barbed wire
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