He had recently married, and his departure was perhaps prompted by an outbreak of plague in his home town.

In 1669, population had declined to ca. 500 individuals following an outbreak of plague.

Aside from the direct effects of war, the occupation coincided with a severe outbreak of plague.

In 1803, a brigand raid plundered its buildings, and in 1812 an outbreak of plague caused the abandonment of the already hardly active cloister.

This official activity suggests that despite the few recorded cases, the government was already aware that this was a serious outbreak of plague.