Karmeliterkloster Spangenberg

The origins of the monastery lie in a hospice donated in 1350 by Hermann Cremer and his wife Aylhedis to the Carmelite Monastery in Kassel. By approximately 1357, a permanent community of friars was established, which is considered the founding year of the Spangenberg monastery, although it was explicitly referred to as the “new monastery” only in 1454. The 15th century saw the gradual expansion of the complex, including the monastery church completed in 1486. The monastery benefited from numerous donations, including the so-called “Junkerhaus” in 1470, where presumably Spangenberg’s first school was established. Notable patrons included Landgravine Anna and her son Landgrave Ludwig II. The introduction of the Reformation in Hesse by Landgrave Philipp I led to the dissolution of the monastery in 1527. The 40 monks living there at the time were compensated, and the monastery buildings became princely property.

The monastery was situated in the town of Spangenberg in the Schwalm-Eder district, Hesse, Germany. The complex was located on the south side of today’s Klosterstraße.

After secularization, the former monastery buildings were used for various purposes. The east wing temporarily served as a prison, with the monks’ cells converted into prison cells. The church and other monastery wings were used by the princely rent office as a granary and barn. Today, parts of the complex remain, including the area of the former monastery church, which is now occupied by a residential building.

• Spangenberg Castle (Castle, approx. 419 m away)
• Haydau Monastery (Altmorschen) (Sacred building, approx. 6492 m away)
• Reichenbach Ruin (Lichtenau) (Ruin, approx. 8515 m away)
• Melsungen Castle (Castle, approx. 8852 m away)