HISTORICAL NOTES ON THE VISITATION
The Convent of the Visitation was
founded by Bishop Michael Portier, first bishop of Mobile. Aware
of the lack of schools in his diocese, he remembered the fine work
of the Visitation nuns throughout his native France. He obtained
permission from Pope Gregory XVI to found a convent in Mobile, Alabama.
Five nuns from the convent in Georgetown, Washington, D. C.
boarded a sailing ship
in November, 1832 and
arrived in Mobile a month later.
The Bishop rented a small five-room
house adjoining the property which he had bought as a site for the
convent. The nuns lived in this house until a more suitable building
was erected. By January, 1833,
the sisters were well established
and forty pupils were enrolled the first year.
In March, 1840, a tornado leveled
the buildings. The convent was rebuilt and a hundred students enrolled,
indicating that the institution's reputation had continued to grow.
Tragedy again struck in May, 1854, when fire reduced the monastery and chapel
to smoldering ruins. Contributions poured in from friends far and
near. Rebuilding began a month later and the convent was completed
for use in 1855. Additions
were made in the 70's and 80's.
The sisters' dream to erect a chapel
to the Sacred Heart was realized through the financial assistance
of Madame Camille Marguerite De Poorter and the McGill brothers,
Felix and Arthur. The chapel was dedicated in 1895.
In the early 1900's the school flourished
and attracted many pupils from not only Mobile, but also the surrounding
states and South America.
In the '30's and 40's vocations
were few and the demands of operating a school increased. Rather than lower the standards of the school,
whose charter was granted by the State of Alabama in 1848, they closed the high school in 1948
and the grammar school in 1952.
The work of converting the former
school into a retreat house began in the 1950's. Many people are
curious about the staircase in the front hall. Originally these stairs led to a second floor
hallway which opened into a parlor similar to the one on the first
floor. After several retreatants fell down the stairs, it was decided
to close them off and install an elevator and remodel the parlor
and hallway into additional retreat rooms. At the present time,
a typical year includes retreats for men, women, and young people,
as well as workshops and days of prayer for priests and religious,
for laity, and for groups of all denominations, marriage encounters,
engaged encounters, and Cursillos.
The monastery also serves as a distribution
center for the communion breads used by churches throughout the
Mobile Archdiocese and for many churches in surrounding states.
This service is extended to a number of non-Catholic churches as
In 1957 a candy kitchen was established. Originally started on a small scale as a source
of revenue, it quickly became apparent that the popularity of the
Heavenly Hash was fast turning the modest facilities into a large
business with possibilities for inter-state commerce. It was nonetheless
decided to confine the candy-making to a scale more in keeping with
monastic living, and the chocolate covered marshmallow confection
now serves as a tasty public relations entity.
Because, from its beginning in 1833, the convent has played an interesting and significant
part in the life of Mobile, it was marked by the Historic Mobile
Preservation Society. The marker was placed at the entrance on November
4, 1967. The buildings were photographed and drawn by the Historic American Buildings
Survey and copies of the photographs and drawings are in the Library
In 1971, thanks to bequests from the estates of Mr. Robert M. Harris and Miss Nan
Langtry, the sanctuary was renovated to comply with changes in liturgical
On October 1, 1981, the Visitation Auxiliary, a group of volunteers
who assist the sisters, opened a gift and book shop in the cottage
building east of the monastery, which was built to be the chaplain's
Also in the early '80's the sisters
expanded their retreat apostolate to offer private retreats within
the enclosure for women who desire a greater degree of silence and
solitude than is usually possible in a group retreat
In 1983 a devoted alumna sponsored the refurbishment of the main parlor in honor
of the monastery's sesquicentennial year; and in subsequent years
her renewal efforts included the front entrance hall and the conference
The monastery was again recognized
by the Historic Preservation Society with an award for architectural
excellence, presented on February 13, 1985.
Between 1985 and late 1991 the sisters carried out several major restoration projects, including
the dormitory and infirmary areas, the slate roof on the chapel,
the clock tower and the stained glass skylight over the sanctuary.
All of these improvements were made possible by the support of generous
alumnae and benefactors, notably the Moorer Foundation, the Mitchell
Foundation, and Mrs. Ursula Romano. On December 9, 1991,
the Historic Preservation Society presented another award for the effort
made during this period to preserve and maintain the integrity of
the buildings of the monastery complex. In 1998 the fire-safety of the entire complex was upgraded to bring it into compliance
with current codes, and the restoration of the interior of the chapel
was begun. The rededication of the restored chapel took place in
October of 1999.