MonasteryAugsburg

Karmelitenkloster Augsburg

Karmelitenkloster Augsburg

Church, Gymnasium, Library

The Carmelite Monastery of Augsburg, a former monastic complex in the Bavarian city of Augsburg, looks back on a rich history. It consisted of two separate institutions: the older Priory of St. Anna and the later Carmel of the Most Holy Sacrament. Both monasteries shaped the religious and cultural life of the city for centuries until they were dissolved by the Reformation and secularization, respectively.

History+

The Priory of St. Anna was founded in 1275 by Bishop Hartmann von Dillingen of Augsburg. The monastery church and other buildings were constructed in 1321 under Bishop Friedrich I. Spät von Faimingen. After a fire in 1460, reconstruction took place, during which the monastery church was expanded into a three-aisled pillar basilica between 1487 and 1497. Additions such as the Goldsmiths' Chapel, the Holy Sepulchre Chapel, and the Fugger Chapel followed. In 1518, Prior Johannes Frosch hosted Martin Luther during the Imperial Diet. Frosch introduced an evangelical liturgy in 1523 and resigned, initiating the dissolution of the monastery in 1534. The former monastery church became Protestant and still houses the unique Catholic Fugger Chapel. From 1531, the Gymnasium bei St. Anna and later the State and City Library of Augsburg were established in the monastery buildings.

A second Carmelite monastery, the Carmel of the Most Holy Sacrament, was founded in 1637 after the destruction of a predecessor monastery by Swedish troops. It was built north of Augsburg Cathedral in a former granary and constructed in the early Baroque style. After a fire in 1646, a new building was erected, which stood for almost three hundred years. This monastery was secularized in 1802 and vacated in 1807.

Location+

The former Carmelite monasteries were located in the city of Augsburg in Bavaria, Germany. The Priory of St. Anna was situated in the old town on what is now Annastraße, while the Carmel of the Most Holy Sacrament was located north of the cathedral, in front of the Frauentor.

On site+

The buildings of the former Priory of St. Anna now house the Protestant St. Anna Church, the Gymnasium bei St. Anna, and the State and City Library of Augsburg. Annastraße is a pedestrian zone. Street names such as Karmelitengasse in Augsburg still bear witness to the Carmel of the Most Holy Sacrament.

Nearby+
  • Fugger Residenz (approx. 367 m away)
  • Schaezler Palais (approx. 450 m away)
  • Burggrafenturm (approx. 453 m away)
  • Fürstbischöfliche Residenz (approx. 504 m away)

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Location: 48.3677, 10.8948