The first sisters – from Holland – arrived in Aruba in 1857. They belonged to the Franciscan Sisters of Roosendaal and had to set up Catholic education for poor children. This took place in a primitive house, made of corn sticks and palm leaves. It was actually no more than a stable. Because some of the Franciscan Sisters left for the other islands where Roman Catholic schools had also been established, the Dominican Sisters were called to continue education in Aruba. That was in 1908. A year later, four sisters arrived under the leadership of a prioress to take over the schools in Playa and Noord, while the so-called ‘stations’ of Santa Cruz and Savaneta were temporarily served by the Franciscan Sisters.
The Dominican Sisters were dressed in a long white habit with a long black hood, held up by a white headband.

The new sisters were housed in the Sivi-divi country house, where the English of the Aruba Gold Concession had their headquarters; after their departure they handed it over to the Dominican sisters. They renamed the house Santa Maria Convent. In January 1920, two higher classes were established there.

Behind the Saint Francis Church, another school with lower classes and 190 pupils was opened. Education was initially free, but those who successfully completed the fifth grade had to pay for the rest: 2 guilders per month! By the way, the Dominican sisters received less than 250 guilders per sister, per year!

It was hard work for the sisters, because in addition to the classroom, they also had to work in the church. For their holidays they traveled by boat to Curaçao and back and stayed there in the sister house of their congregation.

In 1919, construction began on the convent between the St. Francis church and the school, and it was named Maria Convent. The sisters moved from Sivi-Divi to their new home in the convent in 1920, and as a result, a start could be made on the San Pedro Hospital, of which the former country house/convent became part.

The old main building of the convent dates back to 1920. It underwent a major extension in 1930/31. The chapel was constructed in 1946.

Over the decades, the number of Dominican sisters has decreased rapidly and has been supplemented by local or lay teachers. In 1979, exactly 70 years after their arrival, the last Dominican Sisters left our island. The long list of Catholic schools still bears witness to the enormous influence that the various congregations have had on the formation of the Roman Catholic youth.

The Maria Convent, which was no longer used as such due to the departure of the sisters and became vacant, housed the Instituto di Cultura after renovation. The convent stood vacant for more than 10 years and was renovated again, with the help of funds from the United Nations Development Program, to provide housing for the new technical faculty (SISSTEM) of the adjacent University of Aruba.