Stift Berentrop

Berentrop Abbey, dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Peter, was founded in the year 1220. Initially an independent monastery, it was transformed into a priory of Scheda Abbey in 1356. In the 13th century, it was also known as “Silva Sancte Marie Virginis” or “Marienwalde” and was led by a provost, who oversaw a prior, a subprior, a cellarer, as well as several priests, deacons, and lay brothers. With the introduction of the Reformation around 1615 under Prior Sergius von Pöpinghausen, the abbey gradually lost its significance. After the death of Prior Kaspar von Graffen in 1630, monastic use ceased, and the property was leased to secular individuals. Catholic services were discontinued, and the church building was made available to Protestants from 1669. In 1806, the entire property was sold to a citizen from Altena, and a fire in 1815 destroyed a large part of the original buildings.

The former Abbey of Berentrop is situated in the Märkischer Kreis, a region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

After the fire of 1815, the owning family Schniewindt erected a new main house on the premises. This was inhabited until 1955 and subsequently continued to be used for agricultural purposes. The main house later served as a residential home for young people with an attached training workshop. The currently vacant manor house has been partially under monument protection since 2010.

• Haus Küntrop (manor house, approx. 2854 m away)
• Schloss Brüninghausen (castle, approx. 5568 m away)
• Haus Eicken (manor house, approx. 6771 m away)
• Schloss Grimminghausen (castle, approx. 7344 m away)