Probstei Castle (Fulda-Johannesberg)

The history of the site begins in 811 with the construction of a first church by Abbot Ratgar, consecrated by Archbishop Richulf of Mainz. As early as 836, the Fulda Abbot Rabanus Maurus founded a Benedictine monastery here. Around the year 1000, a Romanesque basilica was built on this site, which suffered multiple destructions. Later, the monastery was transformed into a provostry, centered around the church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The current appearance of the Probsteischloss is shaped by the 18th century. Under Provost Conrad von Mengersen, Andrea Gallasini began the reconstruction of the residence in 1726. However, the work, which envisioned a symmetrical layout around the church, was only partially completed and ceased after 1747. While the southern wings were largely finished, the northern areas remained rudimentary; a portal was erected there in 1742 instead of a residential building.