Franziskanerkloster Wiedenbrück

The monastery's history is closely linked to St. Mary's Church, whose current building was consecrated in 1470. In 1644, Prince-Bishop Franz Wilhelm Graf von Wartenberg acquired a residential house opposite the church and founded the Franciscan monastery there. Just one year later, a connecting arch to the church was built. Pope Innocent X confirmed the monastery's foundation in 1645, and in 1647, the establishment was elevated to a convent of the Saxon Franciscan Province. After Wiedenbrück was conquered by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War, the Franciscans took over the care of the miraculous image of the Sorrowful Mother in St. Mary's Church from 1650, as well as pilgrim care, preaching, and confessional ministry in the town and surrounding area. The children of the garrison soldiers were also taught, and the monastery served as a study house for philosophical studies for new recruits. In 1663, the Franciscans established the tradition of the Wiedenbrück Way of the Cross, which continues to this day. A new monastery building began in 1667 but was delayed by a town fire in 1685. From 1700 to 1785, the Franciscans provided pastoral care for Catholic soldiers in the reformed Rheda and, from 1785, became official pastors for the entire parish of Rheda. St. Mary's Church underwent extensions in the 18th century, including the choir in 1715, a sacristy and a confessional chapel in 1730, and the reconstruction of the church tower in 1781. Despite the Imperial Deputation Main Conclusion of 1803, which dissolved many monasteries, the Wiedenbrück convent was able to persist. King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia allowed the continued existence of several Saxonia monasteries in 1826. After an interruption due to the Prussian Kulturkampf from 1875 to 1887, the Franciscans returned and took over the editorial management of the “Antoniusbote” and the headquarters of the Franciscan Missionary Society. The monastery existed until 2020.

The Franciscan Monastery is located in the Wiedenbrück district of the town Rheda-Wiedenbrück in the Gütersloh district, North Rhine-Westphalia.

The monastery complex is now owned by the non-profit cooperative Kloster Wiedenbrück eG.

• Rheda Castle (Castle, approx. 2040 m away)
• Neuhaus Manor House (Wiedenbrück-St.Viet) (Manor and Estate House, approx. 2729 m away)
• Aussel Manor House (Batenhorst) (Manor and Estate House, approx. 3413 m away)
• Bosfeld Castle (Castle, approx. 4948 m away)