Karmelitinnenkloster Hauenstein

The foundation of the Carmel St. Josef dates back to 1947, when an initiative by Sister Agnes from Herxheim, a fellow sister of Edith Stein in the Cologne Carmel, led to the establishment of a Palatine Carmel. Initially housed in a farmhouse in Königsbach, this location soon became too small for the growing convent. In cooperation with the then Bishop of Speyer, Isidor Markus Emanuel, a new location was sought and found in Hauenstein. The monastery building, designed by architect Erwin Lenz, was ready for occupancy by eleven nuns in October 1958 after a short construction period. In 1963, the monastery grounds were expanded and a new monastery garden was created. A redesign of the monastery church took place in 1982, with the altar, choir screen, and tabernacle designed by Wolfgang and Anna-Maria Kubach-Wilmsen, while Helmuth Gebhard Piccolruaz carved the large wall crucifix. Sister Mirjam created the Stations of the Cross, and the organ was built by Johannes Zimnol. Due to numerous vocations, the convent grew to 34 sisters by 1986, exceeding the capacity of the house and leading to the founding of the daughter monastery Carmel Maria Mother of the Church in Speyer. From Speyer, the Carmel Maria Mother of the Redeemer in Wemding was founded in 2001. In October 2022, the dissolution of the monastery in Hauenstein was announced for 2023, as the remaining seven sisters could no longer manage the size and challenges of the building. On July 9, 2023, a farewell service was held, and on July 13, 2023, the last sisters left the monastery to join other Carmelite monasteries.

The monastery is located in the municipality of Hauenstein in the Southwest Palatinate region of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

The former monastery was vacated by the Carmelite nuns in July 2023 and is no longer in use as an active monastery.

• Falkenburg Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 1304 m away)
• Wilgartaburg Castle Remnant (Castle, approx. 4548 m away)
• Lindelbrunn Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 6067 m away)
• Altdahn Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 6444 m away)