Kornelimünster Abbey

The re-establishment of Benedictine monks in Kornelimünster occurred in 1906, more than a century after the dissolution of the Imperial Abbey. Initially, three monks oversaw the construction of the new monastery, which was occupied on November 21, 1908, and officially founded on October 14, 1909. The early decades were marked by political and economic challenges and a search for its own identity. The monastery was not elevated to an abbey until 1953. The abbey church was built between 1951 and 1956. Until 1948, the monks were heavily involved in providing pastoral care to surrounding parishes. From 1948 to 1988, the monastery housed a secondary school and an associated boarding school. Since 1988, the abbey has served as a house of spiritual encounter, offering guests the opportunity to participate in events, individual retreats, or simply spend a few days in quiet contemplation. In 2010, the former school and boarding school section was renovated and converted into condominiums, while the monastic operations continued. In February 2023, the then abbot resigned due to the handling of abuse cases from the 1960s and 1970s, which affected several students of the former secondary school and boarding school. The convent, consisting of five monks, decided against electing a new abbot and instead appointed a Prior-Administrator for one year.

The monastery is situated in Kornelimünster, a district of the Aachen city region, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Today, the abbey serves as a place of spiritual encounter, offering a diverse program of lectures, reflection days, and Gregorian chant weekends. Monastic life continues actively.

• Friesenrath Castle (castle, approx. 3486 m away)
• Neuenhof Castle (castle, approx. 3523 m away)
• Hebscheider Adelshof (castle, approx. 3580 m away)
• Maria im Venn Monastery (sacred building, approx. 4431 m away)