Marienstatt Abbey

Marienstatt Abbey is a Cistercian monastery and a pilgrimage site in Streithausen.
The abbey was first founded in 1134 in Neunkhausen. The site was abandoned because of the climate and soil, and the monastery was transferred to the present location in 1222. According to legend, the abbot had a dream of a hawthorn bush that flowered in winter, which led him to choose the new site.
The first church there was consecrated in 1227.
In the Thirty Years War, Sweden claimed the property as Swedish crown land in 1633, expelling the brothers and vandalizing the premises. Some brothers returned when the Swedes left. However, abbot Johannes Wittig lived with only one brother and one novice there in 1637. After the war, the monastery flourished again, and most present buildings were erected. Under abbot Benedikt Bach, the church was decorated in Baroque style. The old buildings were restored from 1735 to 1751.
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