Tennenbach abbey

The Cistercian monastery of Tennenbach, originally known as Porta Coeli ("Heaven's Gate"), was likely founded between 1158 and 1161. Twelve monks, led by their Abbot Hesso, relocated from Frienisberg Abbey in the canton of Bern at that time. Early founding families included the Lords of Emmendingen, Hornberg, Keppenbach, and Üsenberg. A papal privilege from Alexander III, dated 1178, already lists the abbey's rights and properties on the western slope of the Black Forest. From the late 12th century, Tennenbach was subordinate to the Imperial Abbey of Salem. The monastery's landholdings, concentrated in the Upper Rhine Plain and the western Black Forest, were primarily managed through granges. In the 13th century, the later beatified monk Hugo of Tennenbach was active here. The margraves of Hachberg held the monastic advowson in the 13th and 14th centuries, also using Tennenbach as their burial site. From 1373, the Habsburgs claimed the advowson. During the Peasants' War in 1525, parts of the monastery were damaged by fire, though the church and chapel remained intact. During the Thirty Years' War, the monks left the convent, moving archives and sacred treasures to safety. A fire in 1723 destroyed many buildings, prompting Abbot Leopold Münzer to commission Peter Thumb for its reconstruction as a Baroque monastery. As part of the secularization in 1806, the lucrative Tennenbach Abbey was dissolved by the Grand Duchy of Baden. Between 1813 and 1814, the complex served as a military hospital, where over 1500 soldiers died and were buried. The demolition of the monastic buildings began in 1829.

The former Cistercian Abbey of Tennenbach is situated near Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, at an elevation of approximately 264 meters above sea level.

Today, only remnants of the former monastic complex remain, as the buildings were demolished starting in 1829. Two monuments commemorate the soldiers who died in the military hospital.

• Keppenbach Castle Ruin (castle, approx. 2687 m away)
• Hochburg Castle Ruin (castle, approx. 3157 m away)
• Weiherschloss Emmendingen (palace, approx. 3852 m away)
• Landeck Castle Ruin (castle, approx. 4174 m away)