Jostbergkloster

The origins of the Jostbergkloster date back to 1481, when believers began to venerate the holy hermit Jodokus on the Loyckhuserberge. In 1483, Bishop Simon III of Paderborn permitted the construction of a chapel dedicated to Jodokus and Mary, following the emergence of a pilgrimage. Around 1496, the Franciscan Johannes Schrage and his brother, the merchant Wessel Schrage, sought to invite Franciscans to oversee the Jodokus cult. Although the superiors of the Cologne Franciscan Province initially rejected the remote location, Pope Alexander VI eventually approved the establishment of a settlement by the Franciscan Deithard Duve. Duke Wilhelm of Jülich and Berg transferred the chapel and the surrounding land to the Franciscans. In 1501, the monks received permission to build a new monastery at another, higher point on the mountain, which was consecrated in 1502. However, due to adverse conditions such as strong winds, lack of water, and isolation, which hindered pastoral care and begging, Pope Julius II approved the relocation of the monastery to the city of Bielefeld in 1507. There, the Franciscans were granted a plot of land on Obernstraße, and the new monastery church of St. Jodokus and Francis was consecrated in 1511.

The former monastery is located at an elevation of approximately 225 meters above sea level in the city of Bielefeld, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The foundational walls of the late Gothic monastery church are preserved up to a height of one meter. The choir measures 9.1 meters in width and 14 meters in length. The church was single-nave with three bays and a 5/8 choir closure, with an total interior length of 24.4 meters. The ruin was uncovered in 1912 and 1966, but subsequently deteriorated. Following archaeological excavations and documentation in 1993/94, the church ruin was repaired and partially restored in 2009.

• Sparrenburg (castle, approx. 2540 m away)
• Adelshof Spiegelshof (manor house, approx. 2705 m away)
• Adelshof Grestscher Hof (manor house, approx. 2707 m away)
• Adelshof Waldhof (manor house, approx. 2773 m away)