Franziskaner Abbey

The monastery, dedicated to the Finding of the True Cross, was founded in 1221 by Caesar of Speyer, with the support of Prince-Bishop Otto I of Lobdeburg. It was among the first Franciscan settlements north of the Alps. Initially part of the Teutonia province, it later belonged to the Rhenish Province and from 1239 to the Upper German (Strasbourg) Franciscan Province Argentina. Since its establishment, the Franciscans have maintained an uninterrupted presence in Würzburg. An associated church was completed in 1280. In the 14th century, members of the order were involved in pastoral care for the nuns of St. Ulrich's Monastery, among other activities. Between 1611 and 1616, Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn had the monastery church rebuilt in the Renaissance style. The Renaissance portal from 1613, featuring a relief of the Stigmatization of Francis of Assisi, was created by sculptor Michael Kern. Since the order's division in 1517, the Würzburg convent has belonged to the Conventuals, now commonly known as Minorites. Although the admission of novices was prohibited during the secularization in 1803, the monastery continued to exist. Novice admission was permitted again in 1839, and from 1841, the monastery was revitalized with ordained priests from Italy, South Tyrol, and later also with local clergy. In November 1848, the monastery's refectory served as the venue for the first German Bishops' Conference. From 1857, the monastery became the seat of the Provincialate of the German Minorite Province. During World War II, on March 3, 1945, the monastery and its church were destroyed by an aerial bomb but were rebuilt in a modest manner. Following another fire in 1986, the monastery church was reconstructed in the 13th-century style.

The monastery is situated in the city of Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, at an elevation of approximately 181 meters above sea level.

The monastery remains active and hosts regular meetings of the third branch of the Franciscan family, the Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis (OFS). Within the monastery church, there is a Pietà from the workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider, created around 1510. Numerous significant tomb monuments, including works from Riemenschneider's workshop and the face of Michael Truchsess von Wetzhausen by the master himself, attest to the church's use as a final resting place for Würzburg personalities. The tomb for Hans von Grumbach-Estenfeld is attributed to Riemenschneider's son Jörg.

• Ursuline Monastery (monastery, approx. 75 m away)
• Hof zum Rebstock (residence, approx. 75 m away)