In Germany, there are now more than two thousand active Catholic and about two hundred Evangelical monasteries – monasteries or branches of various Christian orders and communities: in particular, the Benedictines, Franciscans, Cistercians, Johnites. There are also many former monasteries used as museums, hotels, cultural centers, schools, boarding schools, and so on. We present the twenty oldest, famous and picturesque – in no particular order.
Eberbach
Sean Connery as Franciscan friar William of Baskerville
Eberbach Monastery (Kloster Eberbach) is a former Cistercian abbey in Hesse. It was founded in 1136 and dissolved during the secularization under Napoleon. Here are well preserved monuments of Romanesque and early Gothic architecture. Now owned by a foundation whose task is to preserve the wine-making traditions of the region. In this monastery in 1986, the film “The Name of the Rose” was filmed based on the novel of the same name by Umberto Eco, in which the main role was played by Sean Connery.
Index
The monastery church of Andechs Abbey was erected in the 1420s and rebuilt in the middle of the 18th century in the Rococo style.
Andechs Abbey (Kloster Andechs) is an active monastery located near Munich. The abbey was founded on the shores of Lake Ammersee in the middle of the 15th century. The largest monastery brewery in Germany operates in the monastery.
Blaubeuren
Part of the main altar in the monastery church of the former Blaubeuren abbey
Blaubeuren Abbey (Kloster Blaubeuren) is a former Benedictine monastery in Baden-Württemberg. It was founded around 1085. After the Reformation it became a Protestant seminary. Now there is a gymnasium and several museum expositions. The monastery church and the bypass gallery are also open to visitors.
Benediktbeuern
The monastery bell towers of Benediktbeuern against the backdrop of the snow-covered Alpine foothills
Benediktbeuern Monastery (Kloster Benediktbeuern) is a former Benedictine monastery in Bavaria. Managed by the Order of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The monastery was founded around 740 and dissolved in 1803. Then, at different times, the glass factory of the famous optician Josef Fraunhofer, a stable, a barracks and a home for the disabled were located here. Now there are educational centers, a museum and a youth camp site.
Abbey of Hildegard of Bingen
Scene from the German film about the life of Hildegard of Bingen “Vision – Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen”
The abbey of Hildegard of Bingen (Abtei St. Hildegard) in the Middle Rhine is now home to more than fifty nuns. The history of this monastery near Rüdesheim dates back about nine centuries, although the current buildings and the temple are not so old – they were built at the beginning of the last century. The monastery is one of the World Heritage Sites on the Middle Rhine. Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) had a great influence on the Christianity of medieval Europe with her works in various fields of science, theology and poetry. Treatises on herbal treatment and the causes of human ailments in many respects have not lost their relevance, they are still being published and studied.
Bamberg
“Garden of Eden” on the vaults of the monastery church in Bamberg
Continuing the theme of herbs, let’s take a look at Bamberg. The local former monastery of St. Michael (Kloster Michaelsberg) was founded in 1015. The so-called church herbarium (Herbarium) is especially famous. The frescoes inside the temple depict about 600 different types of flowers, berries, herbs, shrubs and other plants. The painting of this “Garden of Eden” was completed in 1617.
Boyron
Beuron Abbey in the Danube Valley
Beuron Abbey (Erzabtei Beuron) is a functioning Benedictine monastery established on the Upper Danube in 1863. There used to be an Augustinian monastery here, founded in 861 and disbanded during the Napoleonic secularization, like some other cloisters in Germany that we have already mentioned. Here, in particular, is the largest monastery library in the country.
Maria Laach
The monastery church of Laach Abbey
Laach Abbey of St. Mary (Abtei Maria Laach) was founded by the Benedictines on the shores of a volcanic lake in the Eifel (Rhineland-Palatinate) region more than 920 years ago. It is one of the most famous active monasteries in Germany. About 700 thousand visitors come here every year. The local shop selling plants and seedlings, for example, enjoys particular success.
Ettal
Baroque frescoes in the Ettal Abbey
Ettal Abbey (Kloster Ettal) is a functioning Benedictine monastery in Bavaria, located near Linderhof Castle. Note that these places themselves, that is, the alpine community of Ettal, are associated with the work and personal life of the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. Here he worked on the opera “Fiery Angel” and in 1923 he married the Spanish singer Carolina Codina.
Corvey
Western facade of the temple of Corvey Abbey – a monument of the Carolingian era
Corvey Abbey (Kloster Corvey) is a former Benedictine monastery founded by the will of Charlemagne on the banks of the Weser River in Westphalia. The monastery became an outpost for the Christianization of the Saxon lands conquered by this emperor, and also played an important role during the reign of the Carolingians. It has the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the following three attractions …
Lorsh
Gate of the Lorsch Monastery
Monastery Lorsch (Kloster Lorsch) is a former imperial abbey. It was founded near Worms in the 8th century and soon became a very influential and privileged monastery. The entrance gate has survived to this day – one of the few monuments of pre-Romanesque style in Germany. In 1991, the Lorsch Monastery and the local archaeological sites were included in the World Heritage List.
maulbronn
Monastery Maulbronn in Baden-Württemberg
Maulbronn Monastery (Kloster Maulbronn) was founded in 1147 and is the best preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps. Located in Baden-Württemberg. Among the students of the local monastery school are the names of Johannes Kepler and Hermann Hesse. In 1993 the monastery also became a World Heritage Site.
Reichenau
Monastic island Reichenau in Lake Constance
This photo shows not one monastery, but the whole (former) monastery island of Reichenau (Klosterinsel Reichenau). In the 8th century, a Benedictine monastery was founded on this largest island in Lake Constance. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the important religious centers in Germany. The UNESCO list includes three Romanesque churches preserved on the island. The oldest and largest of them is the former monastery church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Apostle Mark in Mittelzel.
Lenin
Former grain warehouse on the territory of Lenin Monastery
Lenin Monastery (Kloster Lehnin) is a former Cistercian monastery in Brandenburg. It was founded in 1180 and dissolved during the Reformation in the middle of the 16th century. Monuments of brick architecture of the Romanesque and Gothic eras have been preserved on the territory. Today, various medical and educational institutions are located here, managed by the state Evangelical Church.
Gelft
Blooming lavender in the garden of the monastery of Gelft
Helfta Monastery (Kloster Helfta, aka Helfta) is a functioning convent of the Cistercian Order, founded at the beginning of the 13th century near Eisleben (Saxony-Anhalt). Included in the tourist route Road of Romanica. This community, in particular, belonged to Mechtilde of Magdeburg, a mystical writer whose work influenced Dante, who mentions her in the Divine Comedy.
Neuzelle
Catholic and Evangelical churches on the territory of the monastery in Neuzell
Neuzelle Monastery (Kloster Neuzelle) – the current monastery of the Cistercian order, founded in Brandenburg in the XIII century. The monastic community was revived here in 2018. It acquired its current form in the Baroque era. The temple houses the famous sculptures of the Passion of Christ, created for the abbey in the middle of the 18th century.
Weltenburg
Picturesque Danube landscape in the Weltenburg Abbey area
The Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg (Kloster Weltenburg) is the oldest monastery in Bavaria. It was founded in 617 by Irish or Scottish monks who arrived in these places from France. The local brewery, founded in 1050, is considered one of the oldest operating breweries in the world.
Abbey of Saint Mauritius
Stained glass windows by Gerhard Richter in the Abbey of Saint Mauritius
The Benedictine Abbey of St. Mauritius in Saar Tolai (Benediktinerabtei St. Mauritius, Abtei Tholey) is the oldest active monastery in Germany. The first written mention of this monastery dates back to 634. In 2020, three stained glass windows made according to sketches by Gerhard Richter, the most famous and successful modern German artist, were installed in the local church.
Zalem Abbey
Former abbey, now castle and boarding school in Salem
In this former monastery – Salem Abbey (Reichsabtei Salem), which later became the residence of the Margraves of Baden – Salem Castle (Schloss Salem), is one of the most famous private boarding schools in Germany. The Cistercian monastery was founded a few kilometers from Lake Constance, presumably in 1137 or 1138. At the end of the Middle Ages, this abbey became one of the largest and richest in the region.