Pilgrimage and branch church
MonasteryPfaffen-Schwabenheim
St. Mariä Himmelfahrt
The former Augustinian Canons Regular Monastery of Pfaffen-Schwabenheim is a significant historical monastic complex in Rhineland-Palatinate, located in the Mainz-Bingen district. It is considered the largest unaltered baroque monastic complex in this federal state. The former provost church, now the Catholic pilgrimage and filial church of Mariä Himmelfahrt, integrated into the complex, is one of the most remarkable late Romanesque sacred buildings in the region and is protected by the Hague Convention.
History+
The origins of the monastery date back to around 1040, when it was founded as a convent for women. Around 1130, it was handed over to Archbishop Adalbert I of Mainz, who settled it with Augustinian Canons Regular. In 1230, construction of the new collegiate church began in the late Romanesque style, of which the choir remains to this day. After a period of decline in the 15th century and the expulsion of the canons during the Reformation in 1566, the monastery was re-established only in 1697 as part of the Counter-Reformation policy. It existed until its dissolution in 1802.
Location+
The Pfaffen-Schwabenheim monastery is situated in the Mainz-Bingen region, in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
On site+
Today, the complex is a cultural monument in Germany. The former provost church serves as the Catholic pilgrimage and filial church of Mariä Himmelfahrt. The late Romanesque choir of the church has been a funding project of the German Foundation for Monument Protection since 2012.
Nearby+
- Schönbornsche Amtskellerei (manor and estate house, approx. 1438 m away)
- Ruine Altes Schloss Bretzenheim (castle, approx. 4956 m away)
- Neues Schloss Bretzenheim (castle, approx. 4981 m away)
- Burgruine Neu-Baumburg (castle, approx. 6137 m away)
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Location: 49.8498, 7.9534