Live, study, and relax

HISTORY

The Bonnefanten Residence at Tongerseweg 135 has a rich history. It has been a monastery, a juniorate, and a college. Each time, the building was adapted to its changing purpose. Remarkably, after more than half a century, it has been restored to its original purpose: living and studying.

The Brothers purchased a plot of land here around 1900. How it all started

The complex was originally built by the Roman Catholic monastic community ‘Brothers of the Immaculate Conception’, as a teacher training college. The Brothers purchased a plot of land here around 1900. It was quietly situated, on top of a hill and, at the time, belonged to the municipality of Oud-Vroenhoven. Architect Lambertus Faber was commissioned to design the building.

The purpose of the new building was twofold: a monastery to house around fifty brothers, and a boarding school to train candidates for the brotherhood as teachers, also known as a juniorate. The building was officially opened at the end of 1909, with a high mass in the chapel and a lavish dinner for invited guests, among them the Queen’s Commissioner, the mayors of Maastricht and Oud-Vroenhoven, and members of the House of Representatives.

The first major change to the exterior took place in 1935, when the Vocational School was built.

Early twentieth century

In 1915, six years after its inauguration, the building had to undergo further drastic work to provide more space for the growing number of students. With gifts from the community, the building was further embellished over the ensuing years, including a stunning mural that was painted in the chapel. In addition, each brother was given his own room, and shower cabinets and laundry rooms were created.

The first major change to the exterior took place in 1935, when the Vocational School was built. Here, boys were trained in professional crafts such as carpentry, forging, shoemaking, tailoring, painting and printing. Later on, even a cooking school was added. Architect Alphons Boosten designed a new wing for this purpose, on the southwest corner of the building, with practice rooms on the ground floor and, above them, three floors with dormitories.

During World War Two, the brothers locked all the valuable items away in a sealed room. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, the cellars served as a hiding place for local residents. From 1941, the building was occupied by the German army, until the liberation of Maastricht in September 1944, when the Americans took over. They housed as many as 750 soldiers here. In January 1945, the first students returned to the building.

Architect Alphons Boosten designed a new wing for this purpose, on the southwest corner of the building.

From monastery to college By the 1950s, interest in boarding school education declined further and further. That’s why, in 1958, the brothers began running a class for day students. The building was once again redesigned to accommodate this. The internal department, and the brothers’ accommodation were moved to the west side, leaving the east side of the building for day students. The big recreation room was repurposed as an auditorium, and an outdoor swimming pool and outdoor theatre were added to the complex.

In 1965, the buildings’ name was changed to Scholengemeenschap Oud-Vroenhoven. With this, the school acquired a MAVO (junior general secondary education) and HAVO (senior general secondary education) department and, from 1970, began welcoming girls too. Eventually, the juniorate was abolished, and the teacher training was moved elsewhere. More and more sleeping quarters were transformed into classrooms, and the chapel became a sports facility.

On the 1st of August 1987, Oud-Vroenhoven merged with the Hendric-van-Veldecollege. Trichter College was the name of this new school, where they offered junior and senior general secondary education (MAVO, HAVO) and pre-university education (VWO). In 1989, the MAVO

Saint Mary of the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus was also added. The building underwent extensive refurbishment and was completely modernized. The chapel was restored to its former glory and was used as a theatre space and a new sports hall was built on the sports field. In 2003, the Bonnefanten College was created from a merger between the Trichter College and the Montessori College.

Continuously in motion

When the building was no longer able to keep pace with the growth of the secondary school in 2014, the Bonnefanten College relocated to a new site in Maastricht. For four years, the building stood empty and fell into disrepair – until it was rescued by its new owner, Xior Student Housing. In September 2019, the first students moved in.

This brief history proves yet again that a historic building is not a static structure but is constantly in motion. Bonnefanten has undergone several incarnations, and each time its layout has been adapted. How wonderful that its new role as student housing perfectly embodies the intentions of its founders: a modern place in which to live, study, and relax.

‘A historic building is not a static structure but is constantly in motion.’

‘How wonderful that its new role as student housing perfectly embodies the intentions of its founders: a modern place in which to live, study, and relax.’