Frankenhausen Abbey (german: Zisterzienserinnenkloster Frankenhausen) was a

Cistercian nunnery Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church. History The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in t ...

which existed between the 13th and the 16th centuries, located initially in Grünberg in Ponitz, Thuringia, and then from 1292 in Frankenhausen in

Crimmitschau Crimmitschau () is a town in the district of Zwickau in Saxony, Germany. Geography Crimmitschau lies on the river Pleiße in the northern foothills of the Erzgebirge. Neighboring municipalities Adjacent communities include: Zwickau, Dennherit ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, Germany.Wiemann, 1938Sächsischer Heimatschutz Frankenhausen E.V. website - Geschichte
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History

The nunnery, dedicated to

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

, was established by 1260 in Grünberg. In 1276 it was given the ruined castle in Frankenhausen for its site; after the necessary works the nuns made the move in 1292. In 1410 the abbey was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire. It was dissolved in 1529 in the course of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and finally emptied of nuns in 1543.Peugniez, 2012 After some centuries as an estate in private ownership the site was severely damaged in the years immediately after 1945 during land reforms in East Germany. Since 1990 the remaining structures have been under the care of the Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz, who have successfully undertaken their restoration as historical monuments. These are the school, the vault of the widows' house, the tower of the prior's house and the "Kellerberghaus".

References

Bibliography

* Gereon Christoph Maria Becking: ''Zisterzienserklöster in Europa, Kartensammlung.'' Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2000 p. 55 A. *

Sebastian Brunner Sebastian Brunner (10 December 1814 – 27 November 1893) was an Austrian Catholic writer. He was born in Vienna, and received his college education from the Benedictines of his native city. He received his philosophical and theological tra ...

(ed.): ''Ein Cistercienserbuch.'' Woerl, Wien 1881/Salzwasser, Paderborn 2013, p. 624. * Bernard Peugniez: ''Guide Routier de l’Europe Cistercienne.'' Editions du Signe, Strasbourg 2012, p. 477. * Peter Pfister: ''Klosterführer aller Zisterzienserklöster im deutschsprachigen Raum.'' 2nd edition, Kunstverlag Josef Fink, Lindenberg 1998, p. 434. * Thomas Sterba: ''Herders Neues Klösterlexikon''. Freiburg im Breisgau 2010, pp. 200f. * Harm Wiemann: ''Geschichte des Zisterzienser-Nonnenklosters Frankenhausen bei Crimmitschau.'' Raab, Crimmitschau 1938.

External links

History of the abbey and the buildings up to the present

Landesverein Sächsischer Heimatschutz: abbey website

Cistercensi: abbey location

Germania Monastica: entry "Frankenhausen (Sachsen)"

Germania Sacra: entry "Zisterzienserinnenkloster Grünberg, später Frankenhausen (bei Crimmitschau)"

Crimmitschau municipal website: Frankenhausen Abbey
{{Coord, 50.8422, N, 12.3945, E, display=title Cistercian nunneries in Germany Monasteries in Saxony