Sisters at War: Life and Suffering in the Convent During the Occupation

The Second World War spared nothing and no one. Not even the nearly 50,000 women who had chosen to live as a nun in one of the monasteries in Belgium. Their story has never been told before. Because war was a man's business, seemingly far removed from the invisible existence of nuns hidden behind high monastery walls. And yet their lives were also thoroughly turned upside down. The war brought fear and doubt, but also challenged to action and resistance, as is evident from the unique stories in Sisters at War. From the vulnerable position that female nuns took in the church and in society, a completely different picture of daily life during the occupation emerges. Roeland Hermans studied history and cultural studies and is affiliated with KADOC-KU Leuven. Kristien Suenens is a historian and is affiliated with KADOC-KU Leuven as a researcher and consultant for the heritage of orders and congregations. Her research and publications focus on the history of monastic life in Belgium in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Ria Christens studied history and is an archivist and heritage manager at the non-profit organization Cultureel erfgoed annuntiaten Heverlee. She conducts research and publishes on the interaction between education, gender and religion in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Flanders. An Vandenberghe is a historian and works for the Heritage House