Ohrdruf Priory or Karmel St. Elija, Ohrdruf, is a

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

monastery at

Ohrdruf Ohrdruf () is a small town in the district of Gotha in the German state of Thuringia. It lies some 30 km southwest of Erfurt at the foot of the northern slope of the Thuringian Forest. The former municipalities Crawinkel, Gräfenhain and W ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is the latest in a series of religious foundations in the town:

First foundation

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

cell dedicated to

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

was established here by Saint

Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

in 724–726 (also the date of foundation of the settlement) which seems to have had a school attached. It was given with its lands by Saint Lull (d. 786) to

Hersfeld Abbey Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse (formerly in Hesse-Nassau), Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda. The ruins are now a medieval festival venue. History H ...

, and apparently did not survive as a Benedictine community beyond the end of the century. It is nevertheless of importance as the first monastery founded in Thuringia.

Second foundation

In 777 Saint

Lullus Saint Lullus (Lull or Lul) (born about 710 AD in Wessex, died 16 October 786 in Hersfeld) was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey. He is historiographically conside ...

established the parish church of

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

. When this was re-founded in 980, a community of canons seems also to have been established, which later followed the

Augustinian rule The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. The rule, developed b ...

; they were still subordinate to

. The monastery at Ohrdruf was the centre of spiritual authority for the region of south-west Thuringia until the middle of the 14th century, but in 1344 was transferred to

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

Third foundation

In 1463 the former premises of the canons were occupied by

Carmelite friars , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

, who were dispossessed at the

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 ...

, when the monastery was suppressed and the buildings largely demolished. The remainder was converted into a residence for the Counts of

Gleichen Gleichen is the name of two groups of castles in Germany, thus named from their resemblance to each other (german: gleich like, or resembling). Castles in Thuringia between Gotha and Erfurt The first is a group of three (hence called “die dre ...

, at that time the owners of Ohrdruf, called "Schloss Ehrenstein", after their ancestral castle. This building is now the town museum, archive and cultural centre.

Fourth foundation

In 1991 a second Carmelite monastery, the Karmel St. Elija, was set up here in a new building dedicated on 15 October, the feast of the Carmelite Saint

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

External links

Thuringian Monasticon (University of Erfurt)

Karmel St. Elija website
(temporarily unavailable)
Ohrdruf Catholic Community
720s establishments Christian monasteries established in the 8th century 980 establishments 1344 disestablishments in Europe 1463 establishments in Europe Augustinian monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Thuringia Christian monasteries established in the 15th century Carmelite monasteries in Germany Buildings and structures in Gotha (district) Religious buildings and structures completed in 980 {{Thuringia-struct-stub