Prämonstratenserstift Gottesgnaden, Calbe

The collegiate church of Dei Gratia, later known as Gottesgnaden, was founded in 1131 by Otto von Röblingen. This was done on behalf of Norbert of Magdeburg, the founder of the Premonstratensian Order, and was the second daughter foundation of the Magdeburg Abbey of Our Lady. Gottesgnaden quickly developed into a mother monastery for further Premonstratensian settlements, including St. Georg in Stade, Arnstein, and Münsterdreisen. The first provost, Emelrich, even founded a monastery in Palestine around 1143. In 1164, a mighty Romanesque basilica with two towers and six bells was consecrated. A separate hospital church was built outside the monastery walls in 1207. Around 1280, the Premonstratensian nuns of the original double monastery were transferred to other abbeys. The abbey owned extensive land and the patronage over several churches. During the Peasants' War in 1524/25 and the Schmalkaldic War in 1546/47, the complex suffered damage. Although the Reformation took hold in the region, the abbey initially remained Catholic. After the death of the last Catholic provost and the appointment of a Protestant provost, the abbey was finally dissolved in 1563. There was a brief revival as a Catholic abbey between 1629 and 1631, before it was severely damaged in the Thirty Years' War and burned down by Swedish troops in 1636. In the 18th century, the remains of the basilica were dismantled to obtain building materials for other projects.

The former Gottesgnaden Abbey was situated on a hill east of the Saale River, opposite the town of Calbe in the Salzlandkreis, Saxony-Anhalt. Today, the locality itself bears the name Gottesgnaden.

Of the once extensive monastic complex, only parts of the old monastery wall and the Romanesque tower of the hospital church remain today. The hospital church, which was largely rebuilt in Gothic style in the 18th century, houses gravestones of former provosts.

• Brumby Castle (Castle, approx. 4737 m away)
• Nienburg Monastery (Sacred building, approx. 7316 m away)
• Rosenburg Castle Ruin (Castle, approx. 7627 m away)
• Neugattersleben Castle (Castle, approx. 7813 m away)