Volkenroda Abbey (Kloster Volkenroda) is a former Cistercian monastery in the municipality of Körner in the district

Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Eichsfeld, Kyffhäuserkreis, Sömmerda, Gotha, Wartburgkreis and the district Werra-Meißner in ...

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 lar ...

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 ...

History

The abbey was founded in 1131 and settled by monks from Altenkamp, although not dedicated until 1250. It was an active centre of Cistercian expansion: among its daughter houses were the monasteries of

Waldsassen Waldsassen (Northern Bavarian: ''Woidsassen'') is a town in the district of Tirschenreuth in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. Geography Waldsassen is the northernmost municipality of the Upper Palatinate region. In the northeast, it borders ...

(1133), Reifenstein (1162),

Loccum Loccum is a village situated about 50 km north west of Hanover in the district of Nienburg in Lower-Saxony, Germany. It has been a part of the city of Rehburg-Loccum since 1974. Loccum covers an area of 32 km² with a population of abou ...

(1163) and Dobrilugk (1165). During the German Peasants' War in 1525 the abbey was virtually destroyed and, although restored within a very short time, was dissolved in 1540. The remains of the buildings were used principally for various agricultural purposes. The abbey church served as the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

village church until 1968, when it was shut down because of its derelict condition. The village was designated for "re-settlement" and no further ordinations took place.

Reconstruction

After the end of the GDR, in 1993 the action group "Wiederaufbau Kloster Volkenroda e. V." (''"Reconstruction of Volkenroda Abbey"'') was established, with the aim of reviving the monastic tradition. From 1994 the "Brotherhood of Jesus" (''"Jesus-Bruderschaft"'') from Hünfelden-Gnadental in the district of

Limburg-Weilburg Limburg-Weilburg is a Kreis (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Lahn-Dill, Hochtaunuskreis, Rheingau-Taunus, Rhein-Lahn, Westerwaldkreis. History *1867 the ''Oberlahnkreis'', capital Weilburg was created *1886 the ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

took over the buildings and set up a community in them. In 1996 Volkenroda Abbey was designated as a "Protected Site of Cultural Heritage of European Importance". In the monastery buildings a European Youth Education Centre was established.

External links

*
Kloster Volkenroda website
*

{{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Thuringia 1130s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1131 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1130s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis