Kapuzinerkloster Mergentheim

The Capuchin convent in Mergentheim was founded in 1627. As early as 1606, two Capuchin friars had conducted a preaching mission in the city at the initiative of Archduke Maximilian III. Grand Master Johann Caspar von Stadion called the Capuchins to re-Catholicize the Teutonic Mastership. The first monastery building was erected between 1628 and 1629 in front of the Igersheim Gate. After its destruction by the Swedes in 1631, a reconstruction took place from 1636 to 1637 on the existing foundations. The monastery was initially under the patronage of Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, later the Assumption of Mary, and finally Maria Hilf, under which a chapel was also built in 1641. The Mergentheim Capuchins were subordinate to the Tyrolean province until 1668, the Bavarian until 1711, and the Franconian province until 1809. They held the preaching office in the court and city church, served the Grand Masters as confessors and court chaplains, and were involved in auxiliary pastoral care and convert instruction. A pilgrimage began in 1635 with a copy of the Maria Hilf image of the Mother of God from Passau. In 1751, Grand Master Clemens August of Bavaria had the monastery renovated. A wooden passage connected the monastery with the Teutonic Order Castle until 1803. In 1809, the Capuchin convent was dissolved by decree of the King of Württemberg. The church remained as a place of worship, while the monastery building was used for various purposes. In 1920, Capuchins returned to Mergentheim and acquired the monastery building in 1933. After the buyer's death, it passed to the Diocese of Rottenburg and served as a study home until 1933. The church and chapel were redesigned in 1934 and renovated in 1954. Further adaptations according to the liturgical provisions of the Second Vatican Council followed until 1971. The last Capuchins left Mergentheim in 2015. Grand Master Johann Kaspar von Stadion, the heart of Grand Master Johann Caspar von Ampringen, and other Capuchins are buried in the monastery.

The former Capuchin Monastery is located in Mergentheim, a town in the Main-Tauber district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 215 meters above sea level.

The former monastery church continues to be used as a place of worship. The monastery buildings have served various functions over time and have undergone multiple redesigns and renovations.

• Deutschordensschloss Mergentheim (Castle, approx. 166 m away)
• Burgruine Neuhaus (Castle Ruin, approx. 2434 m away)
• Schloss Wachbach (Castle, approx. 5146 m away)
• Schloss Sachsenflur (Castle, approx. 6302 m away)