Gravenhorst Monastery, Hörstel, Germany

At the foot of the Teutoburg Forest, not far from the town of Hörstel, lies Gravenhorst Monastery, a former abbey of the Cistercian nuns. Surrounded by moors and orchards, the former convent with its church, convent buildings, mill and mill pond, bakery and brewery, imposing wall and historic bridges offers the image of an almost completely preserved convent complex: an absolute rarity in the northern part of Germany.

The history of the picturesque ensemble of buildings stretches far back into the past: in 1252, Konrad von Brochterbeck received permission from Osnabrück Bishop Bruno von Isenberg to found a convent for nuns of the Cistercian order in the Gravenhorst hamlet. Over the following centuries, the small convent was able to operate successfully and become an important spiritual centre for the surrounding area. The communal religious life of the Cistercian nuns was to continue for over 500 years. After numerous changes of ownership and conversions, the Steinfurt district took over the convent in the 1990s and developed a cultural utilisation concept: in 2004, the former convent was reopened as DA, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst.

References:

muensterland.com

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

ioan masay (13 months ago)
Nice place for walking.

SCRABBIE (2 years ago)
Hidden gem…interesting exhibitions. Worth the visit

Barbara Berretta (3 years ago)
Very good Art Museum

Bear Heart (:zo.) (7 years ago)
Dont enter that maze there if you came only on short visit ;-)

Peter König (7 years ago)
My favorite stop on bike tours. Cafe and art in an old monastery.

Gravenhorst Monastery

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus