St. Augustine's Monastery

The Augustinian Hermits settled in Erfurt in 1266 and began constructing their monastery in 1277 on the site of St. Philippi and Jacobi Church. Over the centuries, the complex was expanded through donations and the sale of indulgences, resulting in the construction of the library, St. Catherine's Chapel, the Chapter House, the church tower, a cloister, the nave, the woad houses, and the New Priory by 1518. The stained-glass windows of the church from the early 14th century and an outdoor pulpit bear witness to the monastery's significance. A prominent monastic school offering a Studium Generale and an extensive library shaped intellectual life. Martin Luther lived as a monk in the monastery from 1505 to 1511 and was ordained a priest here in 1507. Under Johannes Lang, a friend of Luther, the Reformation began in 1522, leading many monks to leave the order, and the monastery passed into the possession of the Evangelical Church in 1525. Secularization occurred in 1559. Parts of the complex served as a municipal grammar school from 1561 and later as an Evangelical orphanage. In the 19th century, the New Priory was demolished, and other parts of the building were renovated. After the church was closed due to dilapidation, it was redesigned in Neo-Gothic style in 1848 to host the Erfurt Union Parliament, before being used again as a sacred building from 1852. Parts of the monastery were destroyed in an air raid in 1945 but were rebuilt and used as a Luther memorial and preacher's school. After 1994, it became the administrative seat of the Propstei Erfurt-Nordhausen and underwent extensive restoration from 2000.

The Augustinian Monastery is situated in the city of Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany, at an elevation of approximately 197 meters above sea level.

Today, the Augustinian Monastery primarily serves as a conference and meeting center. It is an official Luther memorial and continues to house the Propstei Erfurt-Nordhausen. The complex has been extensively restored and modernized.

• Erfurt Cathedral (sacred building, approx. 757 m away)
• Petersberg Citadel (fortress, approx. 878 m away)
• Cyriaksburg Citadel (fortress, approx. 2215 m away)
• Gispersleben Manor House (manor and estate house, approx. 4877 m away)