The castle known as Schloss Goldenstein in Austria was established as a convent and a school in 1877. The number of nuns dwindled over the years, and when the building was taken over by the Archdiocese of Salzburg and the Reichersberg Abbey in 2022, the decision was made to dissolve the convent (the school still exists). However, the few remaining nuns were granted the right to live there for the rest of their lives if their health allowed. The last three nuns, Sister Rita, Sister Regina, and Sister Bernadette were all in their 80s. In 2023, they were taken to a retirement facility, but they were not happy about it at all.
https://t.co/Vke6We3kXS Enchanting story of octogenarian nuns on the run - should be filmed. As The Three Graces shows, you underestimate elderly women at your peril.
— Amanda Craig (@AmandaPCraig) September 13, 2025
So the nuns enlisted some of their former students to help them move back to the convent. They found the building locked, so they called a locksmith to let them in. We assume he had a hard time saying no to the elderly sisters. The convent no longer had electricity nor running water, but they felt at home again. You can imagine the archdiocese thought about evicting them again, but the nuns had many visitors and fans, and the publicity of kicking them out would not look good. Read about the rebellious nuns who just wanted to go home at BBC. -via kottke
(Top image credit: Ricardalovesmonuments)