Kloster Heilig Geist

The earliest mention of a hospital in Eichstätt dates back to the period between 912 and 933. In 1194, a hospital for strangers and pilgrims was established, but it disappeared again by 1216. In the 12th and 13th centuries, another hospital for lepers was founded outside the city. The gap in care in Eichstätt was closed around 1254 by a foundation from Count Gebhard VI of Hirschberg and his wife Sophie. For this purpose, they exchanged properties along the Altmühl, where a stone bridge was located. A confraternal convent operated the hospital, whose rule was based on those of the Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit and the Knights Hospitaller. Priests, lay brothers, and sisters took vows and cared for the sick in an infirmary and a sick house. The convent was led by a master, and the sisters by a mistress. By the end of the 13th century, the hospital increasingly transformed into a home for the elderly. In the 15th century, craft guilds and private individuals purchased places or endowed prebends. The hospital's independence gradually transferred to the cathedral chapter. The hospital buildings and the church were replaced by a new construction in 1452. The convent likely dissolved after 1592, but the hospital continued to exist. During the Thirty Years' War, in 1633/34, the complex was destroyed by the Swedes. Under Bishop Marquard II Schenk von Castell, the hospital was rebuilt in 1660. The church was re-erected in Baroque style from 1698 to 1701 under Bishop Johann Martin von Eyb, who also established a foundation. Later, the administration of the hospital foundation passed into municipal hands.

The Heilig Geist Monastery is situated in Eichstätt, a city in the German state of Bavaria.

The complex is protected as a listed building in Bavaria and bears witness to a long history of care and religious life.

• Eichstätt Residence (Residence, approx. 166 m away)
• Eichstätt Cathedral (Sacred building, approx. 170 m away)
• St. Walburg Monastery (Sacred building, approx. 418 m away)
• Herz Jesu Monastery (Sacred building, approx. 497 m away)