Nun Left: As Burlington Convent Prepares to Close, Developers 'Drool' Over Property

One does not simply walk into a convent. One must ring the doorbell.

So say the instructions posted on the back door of the Sisters of Mercy "motherhouse," a forbidding five-story brick building at 100 Mansfield Avenue in Burlington. On a sunny afternoon last week, the only signs of life there were a busy blue jay and the squirrels darting in and out of a nearby pinewood forest.

The nuns weren't home. And even if they were, they won't be for long.

The Sisters of Mercy, part of an international order of Roman Catholic nuns, will officially close their convent this summer after more than 130 years in residence, a spokesperson at the Sisters' Rhode Island headquarters said in an April 22 press release. The nuns no longer live there but will maintain a presence in Vermont, where they've served for 145 years as teachers, nurses and social workers. They'll host a series of events and an open house in the former convent on May 25.

Read more: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/nun-left-as-burlington-convent-prepares-to-close-developers-drool-over-property/Content?oid=27371576