Kollegiatstift Herrieden

The Benedictine monastery was founded around the year 797 by the Franconian nobleman Count Cadolt. Saint Deocar served as its first abbot. In 863, the third abbot, Luitpert of Herrieden, rose to become Archbishop of Mainz. A decisive change occurred in 888 when the monastery was transferred to Bishop Erchanbald of Eichstätt and subsequently served as a center for canons. The foundation, now dedicated to Saint Vitus and also known as Veitsstift, shaped life in Herrieden until its secularization; Herrieden received town rights in 1230. In 1358, the foundation received a gilded monstrance, a relic of Saint Vitus, and a letter of protection from Emperor Charles IV, all of which remain in the church's possession today. Jakob Fugger prepared for a career as a canon here before taking over the family business in Augsburg in 1478. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Herrieden served as the seat of government for Prince-Bishop Johann Martin von Eyb of Eichstätt from 1703 to 1704. After a Prussian phase starting in 1792, Herrieden became part of Bavaria in 1806, leading to the secularization of the collegiate foundation. However, the complex was preserved, and the collegiate church became the local parish church.

The complex is located in Herrieden, a town in the Ansbach district of Bavaria, Germany. The region is part of the Diocese of Eichstätt.

The former collegiate church of Herrieden now functions as the local parish church. Other preserved buildings of the complex include the Collegiate Basilica of St. Vitus and St. Deocar, the Catholic subsidiary church of St. Martin, the Herrnhof as the former residence of the provost, the Fronveste, and the Kasten.

• Herrieden Castle (Castle, approx. 168 m away)
• Aurach Castle (Castle, approx. 6264 m away)
• Wahrberg Castle (Castle, approx. 6570 m away)
• Sommersdorf Castle (Castle, approx. 7138 m away)