A study of the arechitectural history, restoration and tourist redevelopment of the Angelina Monastery in Tamarin, Suriname

This master's thesis, within the Faculty of Design Sciences of the University of Antwerp, forms the third part on a research project on the revitalization of the Cottica area through heritage tourism with case study the mission village of Tamarin, located in Suriname along the Cottica River. This section takes a closer look at the Angelina Monastery located in the village. This building was the home of the Sisters of Roosendaal from July 17, 1925 until the 1980s and also the boarding school for the girl forest creoles. The sisters settled in the village, which was founded by Father Wortelboer - being a Redemptorist - to receive the girls from the surrounding villages and have them go to school there. The village, the school and the boarding school for girls flourished during the 20th century. There was a school, a store, a large church, two boarding schools and, above all, prosperity. In the 1980s, however, disaster struck. The Inland War left behind a deserted and devastated village. Only the Angelina Monastery managed to save itself and still reminds us of the period of prosperity in the area. Unfortunately, the building has been in a state of disrepair for the last few years due to vacancy and neglect. The monastery building, as an icon of the village, urgently needs a new use to ensure its continued existence. This research will gather all data of the building, such as survey plans, building history, photos and descriptions so that they can be preserved for the future. From this, an assessment of value will be made, which can be used to apply for a protection of the building. In addition, the restoration possibilities are analyzed. Finally, a reallocation proposal is made in function of the potential for heritage tourism in the village and its surroundings. The first part of this master thesis on heritage tourism in the Cottica area is used as a preliminary study.

This thesis focus on the following research question: How can Tamarin and the villages along the Cottica play an important role in the revitalization of Moengo in terms of sustainable tourism?