Hirsau monastery in the northern Black Forest is an impressive monument to monastery history. It was one of Germany's most important monasteries in the Middle Ages, as it served as the German center of the Cluniastic reform movement for many years.
A monastery was consecrated in Hirsau as early as 838. The monastery of St. Aurelius was built on its foundation walls in the 11th century. The impressive ruins of the three-nave columned basilica have been preserved from this age. Beginning in 1061 the monastery of St. Peter and Paul was erected on the opposite bank of the Nagold River. Following the Reformation and building of a Protestant monastery school, the Duke had a hunting palace erected in the immediate vicinity. Since a fire in the late 17th century and subsequently being partially torn down, the complex has presented itself as an idyllic ruins landscape. The late Gothic Church of Maria (Marienkirche) and various domestic buildings were preserved. The monastery museum is located in one of them and provides insights into the monastic culture and the spirituality of the site.
You can get a brief summary on our flyer >>> Hirsau Monastery
