St. Ludger's Abbey () was a former monastery 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 ...

in Helmstedt,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, founded by Saint Ludger around 800. Until it was secularised in 1802 it was an Imperial Abbey, with sovereignty over the whole town of Helmstedt until the 15th century.

History

Shortly before 800 the missionary Ludger entered the area of Helmstedt with

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in order to convert the

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

. Ludger founded the monastery on an ancient road, the ''Reichsstrasse'', on the site of an ancient German shrine by a holy spring. The monastery's position on this important trade route was extremely advantageous in the

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, as great financial benefits derived from the constant passage of traders. The significance of the monastery for Helmstedt is reflected in the town's arms, which depict Saint Ludger. The monastery premises were rebuilt after the

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in the

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style; the ornamental monastery gateway (the so-called ''Turks' Gate'') and the dovecote were added in the 18th century. The monastery was secularised during the

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, in 1802, and the possession of the site passed to the Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, after which it was managed as an agricultural estate. The buildings, including the monastery church, suffered severe damage during

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, but have been restored. There has been a

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school here from at least the 18th century and there has been a kindergarten for several decades. St. Ludger's was a sister house of Werden Abbey (incorporated into

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

in 1923). The monasteries were managed in tandem, as reflected in the arms of both houses, each of which bears twin abbots' staffs.

Gallery

File:Doppelkapelle Ludgeri.jpg , Twin chapel in the courtyard of the abbey. The lower chapel (11th century) is dedicated to Saints

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and Paul, the upper chapel (17th century) is dedicated to

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

File:Helmstedt Tuerkentor.JPG , The '' Türkentor'', erected in 1716 to celebrate Austrian victory over the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

at the

Battle of Petrovaradin The Battle of Petrovaradin also known as the Battle of Peterwardein, took place on 5 August 1716 during the Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718), Austro-Turkish War when the Ottoman army besieged the Habsburg-controlled fortress of Petrovaradin on ...

File:Helmstedt Chronik St Ludgeri.jpg , Chronicle of the abbey

External links

*
Helmstedt City Website: St. Ludger's Church
*

Helmstedt
in the ''

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World Guide'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ludgers Abbey Imperial abbeys disestablished in 1802–03 Benedictine monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Lower Saxony Double chapels