Lichtenthal Abbey

The abbey was founded in the thirteenth century by Countess Palatine Irmengard of the Rhine, widow of Margrave Hermann V of Baden. In 1247, it was officially incorporated as a Cistercian abbey after an inspection by a delegation from the General Chapter of Cîteaux. The church was consecrated in 1252 and reconsecrated in 1322 after significant renovations. Lichtental retained its aristocratic roots during the medieval period, serving as the traditional burial place of the margraves of Baden, including Rudolf VI, Margrave of Baden. Most of the nuns during the medieval period came from nobility.

The imposing gateway, built in 1781, leads into a three-sided walled courtyard with a fountain dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, surrounded by the various abbey and domestic buildings, the school, the abbey church, the Prince's Chapel and the hermit's chapel. The Gothic abbey church, of which the choir dates from the 14th century and the nave from the 15th, contains works of art and furnishings of many dates, particularly of the 15th century, as at this time, on the initiative of the Abbess Margaret of Baden, the church interior was lavishly refurbished and ornamented.