Wilhelmitenkloster Limburg

The monastery's foundation is presumed to be in the 13th century, possibly at the invitation of Gerlach I of Limburg. Initially situated on an island in the Lahn, the monks dedicated themselves to nursing the sick, accommodating pilgrims, and pastoral care. After the founding of the Franciscan monastery in 1232, it was the second and final medieval monastic foundation in Limburg. Due to the risk of flooding, a relocation was approved in 1317 by Archbishop Baldwin of Luxembourg of Trier. The monks moved to a courtyard in front of the Diezer Tor, which they had acquired from Eberbach Abbey. There, the St. William's Church, dedicated to the order's founder William of Malavalle, was built between 1320 and 1350. Over the following two centuries, the courtyard developed into an extensive monastic complex with economic operations. In the 15th century, a St. James Brotherhood, a prayer fraternity for laypeople, was founded at the monastery. The monastery church was also a station on the Seven Churches Procession. In the early 16th century, the monastery experienced a flourishing period of devotion to St. Anne, initiated by Prior Peter von Düren. An Anne reliquary and a book of miracles attest to this period, which, however, was short-lived. With the decline of monasticism during the Reformation and the death of the last prior, Friedrich von Dehrn, in 1568, the monastery was dissolved. The complex fell to the Archdiocese of Trier and was later handed over to the city of Limburg, which used it for the Holy Spirit Hospital. The former monastery church was expanded and consecrated to St. Anne.

The former Wilhelmitenkloster is located in the city of Limburg an der Lahn, in the district of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.

Today, parts of the historic monastery complex are integrated into St. Anne's Church. The medieval stained glass windows of the apse are preserved to this day.

• Limburg Cathedral (sacred building, approx. 350 m away)
• Limburg Castle (castle, approx. 374 m away)
• Oranienstein Castle (castle, approx. 3717 m away)
• Dehrn Castle (castle, approx. 3899 m away)