Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tyrol

Photo Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tyrol. Held in private archive K. Walder Hall in Tyrol.

The Founding and Growth of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Tyrol

In 1870, the first Sisters of the Holy Cross came to Tyrol. At the request of Moritz Count Fries, the order's founder, Mother Maria Theresia Scherer, sent four sisters to Meran to provide home nursing care. Soon after, more sisters were sent to North Tyrol. By 1903, 178 sisters were already active in 29 institutions across Tyrol and Vorarlberg. They dedicated themselves to nursing, caring for the poor, and teaching.
Faced with the growing number of sisters and their diverse tasks, the construction of their own monastery, the Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, began in Hall in Tirol in 1910. It was intended to meet the needs of the growing community and enable them to better fulfill their many duties.

Confiscation of the Provincial House: Swiss Property Offers No Protection

The Sisters of the Holy Cross from the Provincial House in Solbad Hall were affected from 1938 to 1945 by difficulties similar to those faced by all convents in Hall. Although the monastery was the property of the order's Swiss motherhouse of the Holy Cross, the Provincial House and the lands belonging to it were expropriated by the Nazis.
Restrictive measures also affected the kindergartens, nurseries, and charitable institutions, which had to be closed, as shown in a report dated March 2, 1940:
"[...] d) the kindergartens and nurseries cared for by Catholic religious sisters: from the Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall, from the Provincial House of the Tertiary Sisters in Hall, [...] Sewing schools were run by the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the Tertiary Sisters in Hall."

Field Hospital in the Provincial House: Deployment of Sisters from Various Orders

In addition, the Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Solbad Hall owned plots of land that the Nazi authorities wanted to claim for their own use. A preserved letter from the Provincial House of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Solbad Hall, dated August 12, 1945, documents the efforts to recover the plots confiscated by the Reich Treasury (Army). This letter detailed the exact location and designation of the seized property: a woodland area with a total area of 2 hectares, 10 ares, and 77 square meters, under file number 401 of the Hall cadastral municipality. The estimated value of the property was stated as 4,744 Reichsmarks. It was strongly emphasized that no form of compensation had been granted to date, and the Sisters of the Holy Cross expressed their desire to repurchase the property.

Sister Alena Thöny

Photo: Sister of the Holy Cross Alena Thöny. From: Provincial archive of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Hall in Tyrol.

Early Life and Education

Sister Alena (Rosa) Thöny was born on July 11, 1912, in Schruns, Vorarlberg. After her schooling, she initially supported her parents in their butcher's shop, working both in the office and the store. Between 1928 and 1930, she attended the commercial school at the Institut St. Josef in Feldkirch.

Career and Wartime Service

Her career with the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Hall began in 1932. After her religious training, she graduated from the commercial academy in Innsbruck and obtained her university entrance qualification (Matura) in 1938. Although she hoped to pursue university studies, the political situation at the time prevented it. During the war years, she worked as a secretary at the Sanatorium Mehrerau in Bregenz and at the reserve military hospital (Reservelazarett) in the Provincial House in Hall.

Illness and Recovery

In 1944, Sr. Alena fell seriously ill with a spinal ailment that confined her to bed for years. Nevertheless, she demonstrated hope, a strong will, and trust in God. She supported all nursing measures and eventually regained her independence.

Teaching and Leadership

From 1956, she taught at the order's own domestic science school and led it as director from 1972 onwards. Between 1972 and 1974, she also taught religion at the Schönegg primary school in Hall. Sr. Alena was an enthusiastic teacher who expressed her versatile talents in the school. She held the organization of celebrations, both religious and secular, particularly close to her heart.

Historical Work and Recognition

Alongside her teaching, she immersed herself in the history of her institute and for decades kept the chronicle of the Tyrol-Vorarlberg Province. In 1970, she authored an extensive report on the foundation and development of the province and the activities of the Sisters of the Holy Cross over the previous 100 years, providing a detailed description especially of the years under Nazi rule and during the Second World War (1938-1945).
The recognition for her long-standing effective work in the school came in 1990 when she was awarded the Merit Medal of the State of Tyrol (Verdienstmedaille des Landes Tirol).

Later Life and Death

Despite painful experiences in the first half of her life, she lived decades of successful and blessed work into old age. In 2001, she suffered a stroke and passed away on July 21, 2005.​

Report by Sister Alena Thöny from the Year 1970

A report by Sister Alena Thöny from Hall on the restriction of the activities of the Sisters of the Holy Cross by the Nazi authorities, dating from 1970, exists:

A Coveted Object for the Authorities

"Our Provincial House in Hall was a tempting object for the authorities at that time. [...] As early as June 1938, they temporarily billeted military units there. On July 1, the Army Construction Directorate put the guest rooms into operation for office purposes; in December, it swapped the rooms with the Army Garrison Administration. At the same time, two officers' families moved in. [...]

Systematic Removal and Closures

In the summer months of 1938, the struggle began. Our sisters were systematically pushed out of their spheres of activity, one institution after another was closed. The youth were taken from us first. [...] One year later, they forced us to vacate the entire house, and this within the shortest possible timeframe. Neither proof of Swiss ownership nor the intervention of the Swiss consul could save us here. [...]

The Struggle Against Catholic Nurses

Then the campaign of annihilation against Catholic nursing sisters began. Initially, the regulation stated: Only sisters with a state diploma may practice nursing. Thus began a series of training courses. Many sisters later had their diplomas unlawfully revoked. [...] Our sisters were pushed out of eleven institutions

Forced Evacuation and Conversion into a Hospital

Just five days before the outbreak of the Second World War, on August 26, 1939, we received the order to vacate the porter's lodge and visiting rooms. For the first and second floors of the Provincial House, we were given a deadline of five days; the other rooms had to be ready for occupancy by the next day already. [...] The floors we left were set up as a military hospital and soon filled with sick soldiers. There were 180-200 patients, some with infectious diseases. [...] In the hospital of the Provincial House, sisters from various orders found work.

Defiance: "The Crosses Will Remain!"

Once, when a commission was walking through the rooms of the Provincial House that had become a hospital, one of the gentlemen commanded: 'The crosses must disappear!' Thereupon Sister Lukretia, the mother superior at the time, replied in a decisive tone:
'Gentlemen, the crosses stay! And they will still be hanging there when you and I are long gone.' The crosses were indeed not removed after that.