Abstract:

Built in Germany in the aftermath of World War II, Kanaan is the retreat center of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary. They opened their Promised Land to outsiders in order to facilitate their collective witness. For the founders of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, Kanaan was a miracle and a refuge. For their spiritual daughters, it served as a reminder of Christ and of heaven. Yet former members of the group have seen the place as a prison, and guests might perceive it as anything from a source of spiritual sustenance to an evangelistic gimmick. Kanaan’s architecture and artistic representations of the Holy Land are provocative; whether they are persuasive is a matter for individuals to discern, as this reception analysis will demonstrate.

Author: George Faithful