At Mariagården in Vallby outside Enköping, the Daughters of Mary live and work, one of six monasteries within the Church of Sweden.
The 16 women call themselves sisters. A typical day is filled with farm chores, cultivation and four common prayers in the chapel. On weekends they receive women seeking silence and spiritual support.
No leader
The sisterhood has no leader, but everyone needs to get along. Their lives are about seeking unity with each other through faith and selfless living.
The sisters share mobile phones, computers and televisions and leave the monastery for errands, sick visits and to visit relatives. A tradition is that silence prevails after the evening prayer at 20.30 until breakfast at 07.30.
Some would perhaps say that you can also practice your Christian life outside a monastery, that you close yourself off. What do you say about that?
– I don’t think we are trapped. We live in the middle of society, are often seen in Enköping, go shopping and have other errands. We have many friends in the village and many visitors come here. It is important for us to follow what is happening in our country and in the world, says sister Agnes, 34, from Lidköping who has lived here for 12 years and is supported by Andrea, 43, from Gothenburg who has been here for 17 years.
In the clip: Join us on a tour of the monastery outside Enköping.