Althaldensleben Abbey

The Cistercian nunnery of Althaldensleben was founded in 1228 by Archbishop Albrecht I of Magdeburg, who settled nuns from Wöltingerode Abbey there. The monastery, dedicated to Mary and James, played a crucial role in caring for the Catholic population after the introduction of the Reformation. Abbess Sophia von Alvensleben prevented the complete adoption of Protestant doctrine in the 16th century. Nevertheless, from 1562 onwards, both Catholic and Protestant services were held in the monastery church. In 1708, due to denominational tensions, the church was divided into two sections. The monastery existed until its dissolution and secularization in 1810 by the authorities of the Kingdom of Westphalia. The monastery buildings and lands were subsequently sold to the Magdeburg entrepreneur Johann Gottlob Nathusius, who converted the former monastery buildings into a manor house. The chapel that existed within the monastery was relocated in 1830 to a new double church in Althaldensleben.