An order of cloistered Roman Catholic nuns in the United States have won approval from a Denver suburb to build a higher fence to prevent people from entering their property to harass them, their advocate said on Friday.
The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Colorado asked the city of Littleton to add two feet to a six-foot fence after several incidents in the last two years of people scaling the walls and trespassing on the monastery grounds.
They are among the Catholic Church's strictest contemplative orders, requiring them to spend their days in prayer and devotion, with little speaking and to live "a life of complete self-sacrifice," according to their website.
The nuns are not allowed to see outsiders, or vice versa, except in rare circumstances, said Mike Kisting, who made the request on behalf of the Sisters.
The higher fencing will allow the nuns, more than half of whom are over the age of 76, to tend to their gardens. He said when women commit to the order, they never leave, and are buried on the grounds when they die.