Over 150 years of caring

The Sisters of Nazareth were founded in London by Victoire Larmenier – Mother St Basil – at the request of Cardinal Wiseman, to care for the aged poor. Later, the apostolate of the Sisters extended their care to include homeless and abandoned children.

The Congregation was founded in the mid 1800s when Victoire Larmenier was just 24 years old. She was born on 21 July 1827 in Brittany, France and entered the group of 'Pious Women' later known as the Little Sisters of the Poor. Seven weeks after she took her final vows, she left her home, the youngest of a group of five Sisters, to answer a calling in London.

In 1881, a small group of Sisters arrived in South Africa at the invitation of the Bishop of Cape Town. Their mission was to care for indigent elderly and orphaned children. Today, more than a hundred years later, Nazareth House still provides a caring and compassionate haven for more than 120 of the most vulnerable members of our society.

Assisted by lay administrative and nursing staff, and a small army of volunteers, the Sisters of Nazareth continue to uphold the core values of Victoire Larmenier, which are as timeless as humanity: justice, patience, love, respect, compassion and hospitality.