Heilig Kreuz Abbey

The establishment of Heilig Kreuz Monastery in 1715 was linked to an existing pilgrimage. This pilgrimage emerged after a so-called blood miracle in 1691, when five red water fountains reportedly gushed from a meadow, interpreted as a sign of the five wounds of Christ. Initially, a small wooden chapel was built, replaced by a stone structure in 1711. Franciscans took over the care of pilgrims, and the monastery was officially founded in 1715. By 1738, it achieved the status of a convent. The pilgrimage experienced a significant influx in the following decades, with over 37,000 communicants recorded in 1756/57. The monastery's church was consecrated in 1786. As part of the secularization, Heilig Kreuz Monastery was dissolved in 1805.