Lage Abbey

The origins of Kommende Lage date back to 1245, when Count Otto I of Tecklenburg donated a farm to the Order of St. John. From 1260, the Hospitallers settled there, and the community grew rapidly. By 1262, twelve religious lived in Lage, and by 1341, the establishment counted 45 Hospitallers, making it the largest within the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian bailiwick. In the 14th century, a pilgrimage to the Lage Cross, a crucifix consecrated in 1315, developed. In 1384, the Kommende was attacked during a conflict with the Prince-Bishop Dietrich von Horne of Osnabrück, and the buildings were rendered uninhabitable. After his excommunication, the bishop returned the Kommende to the order in 1395 and supported its reconstruction, but Lage never regained its former significance. After the Reformation, the Kommende remained a Catholic enclave in the Protestant surroundings. The Thirty Years' War brought further looting and occupations by Danish and Swedish troops, causing severe damage. Under Commander Johann Jakob von Pallandt, new buildings were erected from 1646. The Kommende was dissolved in 1810 during secularization and later fell to the Klosterkammer Hannover.

Kommende Lage is located in the present-day municipality of Rieste in the district of Osnabrück, within the federal state of Lower Saxony. The geographical elevation of the complex is approximately 43 meters above sea level.

The preserved Kommende buildings were rebuilt between 1657 and 1660 and originally formed a four-winged complex. Today, the west, south, and east wings are preserved, with a square tower in the northwest corner likely being a remnant of the original structure. A knight's hall is located in the south wing. After being sold in 1964, the complex was initially used as a hotel and restaurant. In 1999, the Bishop of Osnabrück acquired the Kommende, which subsequently housed a Dominican convent. After their departure in 2020, Franciscan Minorites from the Province of St. Elisabeth took over the Kommende as a monastery. However, the Diocese of Osnabrück plans to sell the Kommende from 2026 due to high renovation costs, although the pilgrimage to the Lage Cross will continue to be promoted.

• Rittergut Varendorf (manor house, approx. 2770 m away)
• Rittergut Sögeln (manor house, approx. 5430 m away)
• Kloster Malgarten (monastery, approx. 5449 m away)
• Cistercian Convent Bersenbrück (monastery, approx. 8339 m away)