Kloster St. Mariä und Gertrudis

The Cistercian nunnery of St. Mary and Gertrude was founded in 1253 by the brothers Albert and Ludwig von Hakeborn. By 1262, twelve nuns from Helfta Abbey had moved into the new establishment, with Gertrude von Hackeborn as its first abbess. In 1264, the Lords of Hakeborn donated the parish church in Badersleben, along with all its rights, to the monastery. Even during the Reformation, the convent, led by Abbess Margarete von Hoym, maintained its Catholic faith. This led to tensions from 1565 onwards, as the abbey church was used by both denominations. Consequently, the Cistercian nuns had to erect the Protestant Trinity Church on the monastery grounds in 1713/14. The visible architectural substance today largely dates from the 18th century, with extensive construction phases starting in 1705. In 1810, the monastery was secularized by a decree of the Kingdom of Westphalia. After the death of the last abbess, Maria Theodora Meinong, bankers acquired the monastic estate, which was later sold to Johann-Matthias Heyne, with the stipulation that the church should remain a Catholic sacred building. The last Cistercian nuns passed away in 1854/55. Following expropriations in 1945 and its use as a school and agricultural cooperative during the GDR era, the monastery was renovated after 1990 and used as a conference and educational center. In 2014, descendants of the Heyne family acquired the monastery, continuing its public use.

Kloster Hedersleben is located in the Selke lowlands on the western outskirts of Hedersleben in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, nestled within the Harz region.

Today, the listed monastery complex serves as an event center, houses a Catholic parish, and an educational institution. Accommodation options are also available. The two-story cloister buildings, which enclose the square courtyard, were constructed in 1705 and 1773.

• Manor House Wedderstedt (manor and estate house, approx. 2090 m away)
• Estate House Hausneindorf (manor and estate house, approx. 2514 m away)
• Manor House Hausneindorf (manor and estate house, approx. 2682 m away)
• Hausneindorf Castle (castle, approx. 2696 m away)