Kollegiatstift St. Maria, Wurzen

The foundation of the collegiate church took place in 1114 by Bishop Herwig of Meissen, who endowed the institution with various incomes and lands. As part of the Prince-Bishopric of Meissen, the secular possession of the Diocese of Meissen, St. Mary's Cathedral in Wurzen became the central building for the community of secular canons. Until 1581, the collegiate church administered the Archdeaconry of Wurzen, which extended over a significant part of the western Diocese of Meissen. In the course of the Reformation and the so-called Wurzen Feud in 1542, a conflict over tax issues and the use of collegiate funds, the Reformation was implemented in Wurzen. Since then, the collegiate church has continued as a Lutheran cathedral chapter, whose members include both laypeople and clergy. Until the abolition of the monarchy in the Kingdom of Saxony in 1918, the collegiate church sent representatives to the First Chamber of the Saxon Landtag. Immanuel Christian Leberecht von Ampach, a canon and dean, donated the altarpiece "Annunciation" by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld to Wurzen Cathedral in 1820.

The Collegiate Foundation of St. Mary is situated in the town of Wurzen, which belongs to the Leipzig region in the federal state of Saxony. The foundation is located at an elevation of approximately 123 meters above sea level.

Today, the Cathedral Foundation of St. Mary in Wurzen is an Evangelical-Lutheran institution of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony, based in Wurzen as a public corporation. It serves to preserve the cathedral and ensure Evangelical-Lutheran worship services.

• Wurzen Castle (Castle, approx. 51 m away)
• Schmölen Manor House (Manor and Estate House, approx. 2139 m away)
• Nischwitz Castle (Castle, approx. 3191 m away)
• Großzschepa Manor House (Manor and Estate House, approx. 5318 m away)