‘Runaway Nuns’ Escape Nursing Home and Return to Beloved Austrian Convent

It sounds like the plot of a faith-based movie, but it’s all real — and it’s got the internet cheering.

Three elderly Austrian nuns — Sister Rita, 82, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Bernadette, 88 — have become unlikely social-media sensations after pulling off what locals are calling “The Great Convent Escape.” The trio, famous among their 78,000 Instagram followers for their gentle humor and daily prayers, fled a nursing home earlier this year to return to their shuttered convent near Salzburg.

The sisters were relocated to the nursing home in December 2023 after church officials closed their convent, Schloss Goldenstein, citing a decline in new vocations. The move, however, was not voluntary.

“We weren’t asked,” Sister Bernadette told the BBC. “We had the right to stay here until the end of our lives and that was broken. I have been obedient all my life, but it was too much.”

With help from a former student and a local locksmith, the trio quietly slipped out of the nursing home and returned to the 17th-century convent they’d once called home.

“When the opportunity arose to return to our beloved convent, we didn’t wait for permission,” Sister Rita later told NPR. “But I don’t want the provost to be angry with us.”

Their supervisor, Provost Markus Grasl of Reichersberg Abbey, was less than thrilled about the escape. He argued the decision to move the women had been made for their safety.

“The sisters’ precarious health conditions meant that independent living at Goldenstein Convent was no longer possible,” Grasl said through his spokesperson, Harald Schiffl.

Schiffl added that the nuns were “consulted before being moved” and insisted the church acted out of concern. “After decades of living and working in one place, such a move is not easy,” he told NPR.

Still, critics have accused the church of treating the sisters like property rather than people of faith.

When the three women returned to Schloss Goldenstein — a former castle now partly used as a private girls’ school — they found no electricity, no running water, and new locks on their apartments. But soon, their former students and local supporters rallied around them, delivering groceries, blankets, and warm meals.

“When they need us, they just have to call us, and we will be there,” said Sophie Tauscher, a former pupil who remembers being taught by Sister Regina. “These nuns changed so many lives in such a good way.”

Ironically, the same church that wanted them in a nursing home now finds itself battling the sisters’ global fame. Their Instagram account, which mixes serene chapel photos with messages about forgiveness and resilience, has exploded in popularity.

“I think it’s wonderful that Instagram brings people to us to praise God,” Sister Bernadette said. “Sure, they’re curious to see us after all the press coverage, but what they see is our worship. Heaven uses tech to spread the word. God arranged this — not us!”

While the Vatican has stayed silent, many Austrians have hailed the three women as symbols of courage and devotion. For now, the rebellious nuns remain at Schloss Goldenstein, surrounded by love, faith — and a very loyal online congregation.