Zisterzienserinnenkloster Kreuztal, Mariaburghausen

The convent's foundation in the 13th century is attributed to Abbess Jutta von Heiligental, who established a daughter convent in Kreuzthal in 1237. Due to its remote location, it was relocated to Mariaburghausen in 1243, then known as “Marcburghusa.” As a noble women's convent, it exclusively admitted women and girls from aristocratic families, ensuring strong financial support from these noble houses. Additional income from indulgences and the acquisition of relics quickly elevated Mariaburghausen to a pilgrimage site. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, monastic discipline relaxed, leading to episcopal visitations in 1492 and 1498. During the Peasants' War from 1524, the convent suffered significant losses, and relics and valuables intended for safekeeping at Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg never arrived. The number of nuns drastically declined until Abbess Ursula von Rotenstein was the sole remaining nun from 1543. Following her death in 1582, Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn dissolved the convent, and its revenues were allocated to the University of Würzburg, which continues to derive income from the Mariaburghausen properties to this day.

The former Mariaburghausen convent is situated in a hamlet that is now an officially designated district of the county town of Haßfurt. It is located in the Lower Franconian district of Haßberge in Bavaria, Germany.

The Mariaburghausen estate still conveys a characteristic image of Cistercian monastic architecture. The former convent church of St. John the Baptist, a soaring Gothic structure built between 1287 and 1336, dominates the complex. In the 18th century, under Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Greiffenclau zu Vollraths, the church underwent extensive renovation, including the addition of a new roof structure with a ridge turret and a bell frame. The church's choir features a Baroque high altar and a pulpit. Of the original convent buildings, two wings remain, which were rebuilt in the 17th century.

• Wonfurt Castle (approx. 3658 m away)
• Ditfurth Castle (approx. 4183 m away)
• Theres Castle (approx. 4578 m away)
• Schönborn Castle (approx. 5745 m away)