Franziskanerkloster Stadthagen

The founding of the Franciscan monastery occurred in 1486 at the initiative of Count Erich, shortly after his return from the Great Hildesheim Feud. Count Erich was laid to rest in 1492 beneath the still-unfinished monastery church, which was consecrated in 1500. The monastery was part of the Saxon Franciscan Province of the Holy Cross. The monks established a remarkable library, comprising numerous manuscripts and early printed books. Of the original 85 chained books, 73 are still preserved today, forming the largest collection of its kind in Germany, housed in the Bückeburg State Archives. With the introduction of the Lutheran Reformation by Count Otto IV in 1559, the monastery was dissolved. Later, in 1610, Prince Ernst utilized the former monastery buildings to found the Gymnasium illustre, with the aim of establishing a state university for Schaumburg. However, following imperial confirmation in 1619, it was relocated to Rinteln the following year. From 1732 onwards, the Reformed congregation in Stadthagen was permitted to use the Gothic choir of the former monastery church for services, while the remaining vacant monastery buildings and the nave of the church were gradually dismantled over time.

The former Franciscan monastery is located in the city of Stadthagen, situated in the Schaumburg region within the federal state of Lower Saxony.

Today, the Gothic choir of the former monastery church is preserved and is used by the Evangelical Reformed congregation for worship services. The original monastery buildings are no longer extant.

• Manor House of the von Landsberg family (manor and estate house, approx. 192 m away)
• Stadthagen Castle (castle, approx. 194 m away)
• Remeringhausen Manor (manor and estate house, approx. 4569 m away)
• Lohhof Manor (manor and estate house, approx. 4922 m away)