St. Katharinen

The founding of the Augustinian convent of St. Katharina is dated to 1260, with its first documented mention appearing in 1324. The patronage of Saint Katharina is attested since 1390. From 1436, women lived there, later joining the Order of Augustinian Hermits. A chapel was built or repaired around 1470 and redesigned in 1667. A hermitage existed in the 14th and 15th centuries. With the transfer of the miraculous cross from Bernrain in 1542, the convent gained significant religious importance during the Reformation era, becoming a pilgrimage site. In 1664, the cross had to be returned. In 1667, the complex was expanded, and a larger church was built. In 1781, the women's convent was separated from the Augustinian order and placed under the episcopal ordinariate. Its final dissolution occurred between 1810 and 1815, after which the buildings were secularized in 1808 and largely demolished later.

The convent of St. Katharina is located in an exclave of the present-day Konstanz district of Litzelstetten, nestled within the Mainauwald. This approximately seven-hectare area borders the districts of Wollmatingen and Egg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

After the extensive demolition of the convent buildings after 1815 and the later demolition of the convent church due to dilapidation, the remaining estate was used as an inn. Today, the former convent courtyard hosts a beer garden, operated during the summer months as part of the “Mainau Erlebniswald” by the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation.

• Schloss Mainau (Castle, approx. 2224 m away)
• Kloster Petershausen (Sacred building, approx. 3232 m away)
• Dompropstei (Castle, approx. 3498 m away)
• Schloss Blarerscher Domherrenhof (Castle, approx. 3574 m away)