Index: spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/Main.java
===================================================================
--- spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/Main.java	(revision 674320)
+++ spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/Main.java	(working copy)
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 public class Main {    
 
     public static void main(String[] args) {
-        new AvalonApplicationContext();
+        AvalonApplicationContext.newAvalonApplicationContext();
     }
 
 }
Index: spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/adaptor/FileSystemBridge.java
===================================================================
--- spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/adaptor/FileSystemBridge.java	(revision 674320)
+++ spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/adaptor/FileSystemBridge.java	(working copy)
@@ -20,13 +20,14 @@
 
 import org.apache.james.services.FileSystem;
 import org.springframework.core.io.ResourceLoader;
+import org.springframework.context.ResourceLoaderAware;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 
-public class FileSystemBridge implements FileSystem {
+public class FileSystemBridge implements FileSystem, ResourceLoaderAware {
 
     public File getBasedir() throws FileNotFoundException {
         return new File(".");
Index: spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/beanfactory/AvalonApplicationContext.java
===================================================================
--- spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/beanfactory/AvalonApplicationContext.java	(revision 674320)
+++ spring-deployment/src/main/java/org/apache/james/container/spring/beanfactory/AvalonApplicationContext.java	(working copy)
@@ -45,23 +45,30 @@
     /**
      * configuration-by-convention constructor, tries to find default config files on classpath
      */
-    public AvalonApplicationContext() {
-        this(RESOURCE_SPRING_BEANS, RESOURCE_JAMES_ASSEMBLY);
+    public static AvalonApplicationContext newAvalonApplicationContext() {
+        return newAvalonApplicationContext(RESOURCE_SPRING_BEANS, RESOURCE_JAMES_ASSEMBLY);
     }
     
     
-    public AvalonApplicationContext(Resource containerConfigurationResource,
+    public static AvalonApplicationContext newAvalonApplicationContext(Resource containerConfigurationResource,
                                     Resource applicationConfigurationResource) {
-        this(null, containerConfigurationResource, applicationConfigurationResource);
+        return newAvalonApplicationContext(null, containerConfigurationResource, applicationConfigurationResource);
     }
 
+    public static AvalonApplicationContext newAvalonApplicationContext(ApplicationContext parent,
+                                    Resource containerConfigurationResource,
+                                    Resource applicationConfigurationResource) {
+        AvalonApplicationContext result = new AvalonApplicationContext(parent, containerConfigurationResource, applicationConfigurationResource);
+        result.refresh();
+        return result;
+    }
+
     public AvalonApplicationContext(ApplicationContext parent, 
                                     Resource containerConfigurationResource, 
                                     Resource applicationConfigurationResource) {
         super(parent);
         this.containerConfigurationResource = containerConfigurationResource;
         this.applicationConfigurationResource = applicationConfigurationResource;
-        refresh();
     }
 
     protected void loadBeanDefinitions(DefaultListableBeanFactory defaultListableBeanFactory) throws IOException, BeansException {