Rottenmünster Abbey

The origins of Rottenmünster Abbey date back to 1222, when it was founded as a nunnery. By 1224, it was officially incorporated into the General Chapter of the Cistercian Order under the supervision of the Abbot of Salem. In 1237, Emperor Frederick II placed the abbey under his protection, entrusting this safeguard to the imperial city of Rottweil. Through donations and dowries, the monastery acquired extensive landholdings between the Black Forest and the Swabian Jura. From 1442, the abbey gained imperial immediacy, granting its abbess a seat in the Imperial Diet and membership in the Swabian Imperial Circle. In the late 14th century, the convent housed up to 100 nuns, later stabilizing at between 20 and 30 Cistercian sisters. Following looting during the Thirty Years' War and destruction by fire in 1643, a comprehensive Baroque-style reconstruction took place between 1662 and 1669 under the direction of master builders Michael Beer and Michael Thumb. The secularization ended the monastic existence in 1803, when the territory and possessions were taken over by Württemberg.

The former Rottenmünster Abbey is situated in the city of Rottweil in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, at an elevation of approximately 583 meters above sea level.

After the dissolution of the monastery in 1803, the sisters initially remained in the buildings. From 1896, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul took over the monastic complex. Today, the historic buildings house the Vinzenz-von-Paul-Hospital, which developed from a sanatorium established in 1898.

• Dominican Convent Klause bei St. Jakob, Rottweil (Monastery, approx. 749 m away)
• Sisters' Collection at St. Silvester Chapel, Bühlingen (Monastery, approx. 864 m away)
• Dominican Convent Hochmauren (Monastery, approx. 879 m away)
• Dominican Convent Klause von St. Moritz, Rottweil (Monastery, approx. 994 m away)