Convent of the Holy Debris

Last week, a wrote sometime about an ancient wall that lines the corner of Kane and Henry Streets in Cobble Hill. A reader did some detective work and informed me that it once surrounded a convent called the the Nursing Sisters of the Sick Poor/Congregation of the Infant Jesus, an order which began in France.

This made me even more curious about the crumbling, vine-covered wall, which was built in 1913—as did a comment that said now the wall sadly now hides a car park. So, the next time I passed, I scaled the wrought-iron fence that surrounds the stone wall and had a peek inside. No car park; that lot is further to the east. Just a backyard choked with tons of garbage, junk and debris. Flower pots, tarp, construction cones, cinder block, kids' toys, garbage cans, crates. A real Hillbilly's yard. All that was missing was the rusted-out hull of a car. Such a shame.

I did, however, also discover something encouraging. It seems that not all of the convent is gone. Take a look at that window over the back door. Nothing but a religious structure would incorporate a window that shape. That is clearly a remnant of the convent. I wonder what the building looks like inside.