St. Felizitas (Vreden)

The Canonesses' Collegiate Church of Vreden was founded no later than 839. Dedicated to Saint Felicitas, it was originally intended for noblewomen. The founder, Walbert, presumably from the Billung dynasty, arranged for the transfer of holy relics, which is considered the completion of the foundation. The first collegiate church was a predecessor building of today's parish church of St. Georg, before St. Felicitas assumed this status between 1070 and 1100. The collegiate church was at times directly subject to the emperor and maintained close ties with the emperors, reflected in the occupation of abbess positions by daughters and relatives of imperial families. In 1024, King Konrad II visited the collegiate church and was received by the abbesses Adelheid of Vreden and Sophia of Essen. Imperial immediacy ended in 1261 with its submission to the Bishop of Münster. Legend has it that in 1115, Norbert of Xanten, on his way to Vreden, was thrown from his horse by a lightning strike and converted. In 1324, during the Bredevoort Feud, the collegiate church suffered looting and a fire that destroyed its archive. The collegiate church was dissolved in 1810.

The Canonesses' Collegiate Church of Vreden is located in the town of Vreden, which belongs to the Borken district in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Collegiate Church of St. Felicitas, whose origins date back to the 9th century, was extended with a hall crypt in the 11th century. The current church building was constructed in the 12th century, with the choir being rebuilt in 1427. After the dissolution of the collegiate church and extensive alterations in 1911, the church suffered damage to its choir and vaults during World War II, which were rebuilt by 1952. Following extensive renovation, the collegiate church was recommissioned in 2016. The Vreden Lenten Veil from 1619 and a Marian chandelier from the late 15th century are exhibited in the church. A lawn now stretches between the church and the city moat, where the hospital once stood. A Way of the Cross and a five-fold steel cross commemorate the religious history of the site.

• Haus Vreden (manor house, approx. 386 m away)
• Gut Hessinghook (manor house, approx. 9889 m away)
• Haus Lohn (castle, approx. 10776 m away)
• Burgrest Oeding (castle ruin, approx. 11430 m away)