Wennigsen Abbey

Wennigsen Abbey is a Protestant women’s convent about 15 km southwest of Hanover, and one of the five Calenberg monasteries overseen by the Klosterkammer Hannover. Likely founded around 1200, it was first mentioned in 1224. Its church tower dates to about 1150. Originally an Augustinian nunnery supported by local nobles, it became an important religious house and briefly a pilgrimage site in the 13th century.

The convent prospered through aristocratic donations, but like many monasteries, it faced reform in the 15th century and the introduction of Lutheranism in 1542 under Duchess Elisabeth of Calenberg. During the Thirty Years’ War it was heavily damaged and later rebuilt in baroque style (1707–1725). In modern times, it served various roles, from weapons storage in 1920 to shelter for refugees after World War II.

Today it remains an active Protestant convent. Since 2002 it also houses the “House for Silence and Encounter – Via Cordis.” The Johanniter Order occupies part of the complex. The abbey church, expanded several times since the Middle Ages, was extensively restored between 2010 and 2012, including its Romanesque tower and bells.

Address
Klosteramthof 3, Wennigsen (Deister), Germany

Established
c. 1200