Kloster Bethlehem Koblenz

The monastery was founded in the Pfaffendorf district in 1904, initiated by the Capuchin Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration from Mainz, whose convent experienced significant growth in the late 19th century. Sisters Ignatia von Hertling and Paula Reinhard, who maintained a personal connection, played a crucial role in its realization. Paula Reinhard and her sister Maria, who possessed a considerable inheritance, pledged financial support for the construction project on January 12, 1902. Following ecclesiastical approval from Rome on January 30, 1903, a plot of land with views of the Rhine Valley was acquired. The foundation stone for the new monastery was laid on July 2, 1903. The buildings, including a monastery complex and a monastery church, designed by Berlin architect August Menken, were consecrated on October 17, 1904. Ignatia von Hertling was elected as the first superior. Due to the community's growth, offshoots were later established in Melville (South Africa) in 1931 and Swellendam in 1953. During World War II, the monastery faced dissolution by the National Socialists, which was averted by undertaking sewing work for the Wehrmacht. During air raids in November and December 1944, the monastery suffered severe damage, leading to evacuation and the deaths of seven sisters. Reconstruction after the war lasted over 20 years, with the enclosure being restored in November 1953. The undamaged monastery church served as an emergency church for six years after the war. The number of sisters grew to 40, and they earned their livelihood through gold and silk embroidery and the production of ecclesiastical art and utility items. Villa Emmaus, located north of the monastery, was demolished in 1973. Today, 19 sisters live in the monastery, focusing exclusively on baking communion wafers.

The Bethlehem Monastery is situated in the city of Koblenz, an independent city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located in the Pfaffendorf district.

The monastery continues to be an active convent of the Capuchin Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. The sisters live in strict enclosure, practice perpetual adoration, and produce communion wafers for divine service to support themselves. The complex is protected as a cultural monument.

• Fortress Koblenz-Werk Glockenberg (Fortress, approx. 908 m away)
• Fortress Koblenz-Fort Rheinhell (Fortress, approx. 996 m away)
• Fortress Koblenz-Horchheimer Torbefestigung (Fortress, approx. 1042 m away)
• Electoral Palace Koblenz (Palace, approx. 1336 m away)