Dominikaner Abbey

The Dominican Order settled in Bamberg shortly after 1304, when Bishop Wulfing von Stubenberg, himself a Dominican, brought the order to the city. Initially located near St. Nicholas Chapel, the order received permission to build its own monastery in 1310. The monastery church was built before 1400 and consecrated on November 5, 1400, possibly under the patronage of Saint Christopher. In the 17th century, the monastery grounds reached their current extent through land acquisitions. The cloister was constructed between 1459 and 1475 under Prince-Bishop Georg I von Schaumberg. The large convent building, facing the Regnitz river, was begun in 1730 and became habitable in 1734, with construction continuing until 1743. Its design may have followed plans by Balthasar Neumann, executed by Justus Heinrich Dientzenhofer. With the secularization between 1803 and 1806, the monastery was dissolved. The buildings were initially used for military purposes, including as barracks and a hospital, until this use ceased in 1912.