Nütschau Priory (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Kloster Nütschau or Priorat Sankt Ansgar) is a house of the

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

located at Travenbrück near

Bad Oldesloe Bad Oldesloe () is a town located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the capital of the district of Stormarn. The area has been inhabited since Mesolithic times. The flint tools found here from that era (6000–4500 BC) ar ...

, Stormarn,

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

History

Nütschau is the northernmost Benedictine monastery in Germany. Around 830 a castle was built on the Trave, surrounded and secured with an earth wall: the Nütschauer Schanze, part of a Carolingian fortification. In 1577

Heinrich Rantzau Heinrich Rantzau or Ranzow (Ranzovius) (11 March 1526 – 31 December 1598) was a German humanist writer and statesman, a prolific astrologer and an associate of Tycho Brahe. He was son of Johan Rantzau. He was Governor of the Danish royal s ...

built the small moated castle, the "Castrum Nutzkow". The turret was added to the center gable in 1792.Kloster Nütschau
/ref> The Benedictine house originated after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a refuge for displaced persons, particularly

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

from the former German territories. The church acquired the former Nütschau manor house (''Herrenhaus Nütschau'') in 1951 and at the request of Hermann Wilhelm Berning, the

Bishop of Osnabrück A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, it was developed by and staffed from Gerleve Abbey. St.

Ansgar Ansgar (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar, Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishopric of Bremen, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the ...

's House (''Haus Sankt Ansgar'') opened in 1954, initially as a retreat house. In November 1960 the community was raised to the status of a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

under Gerleve. In 1965, Bishop Helmut Herrmann Wittler donated an Ansgar reliquary to the Nütschau monastery. The priory church of St. Ansgar was built in 1974, and in 1975 Nütschau became an independent monastery, which now includes a training house and a youth house. Guided tours through the grounds and the manor house are available by appointment. The monks offer pilgrims on the "Way of St. James" and on the "Monk's Path" shelter for the night. As of 2022, there were nineteen monks in residence. The priory is part of the

Beuronese Congregation The Beuronese Congregation, also known as Beuron Congregation, is a union of mostly Germany, German or German language, German-speaking monasteries of both monks and nuns within the Benedictine Confederation. The congregation is under the patrona ...

Priors

Under direct control of the Abbot of Gerleve: :1951-60 Pius Buddenborg Priory of Gerleve Abbey :1960-71 Amandus Eilermann :1971-75 Gaudentius Sauermann Independent priory :1975-94 Gaudentius Sauermann :1994 Antonius Terstiege :From 1994 Leo Overmeyer

References

External links

Website of Nütschau Priory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nutschau Priory Benedictine monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Schleswig-Holstein Buildings and structures in Stormarn (district)