Abtei Maria Frieden, Benedictine abbey in Kirchschletten, Germany
Abtei Maria Frieden is a Benedictine monastery in Kirchschletten built on the grounds of a historic castle estate and operating as a working religious community today. The building features three wings with sandstone details, and the sisters run workshops, educational programs, and produce goods that visitors can buy.
The estate started as a knights' holding first documented in 1143 and served as a noble residence for centuries. In 1695 Johann Friedrich Karg von Bebenburg purchased and renovated the buildings before the site eventually became a monastery.
The community brings together sisters from different countries who blend Benedictine traditions with Eastern spiritual practices. Visitors experience this international religious atmosphere in the daily prayer rhythms and the way the sisters live together.
Visitors can stay in simple guest rooms at the monastery and experience the daily rhythm of the community. The abbey shop sells items made by the sisters including fresh produce boxes, handmade candles, and crafted goods.
The abbess Maria Mechthild Thürmer received the Göttingen Peace Prize in 2021 for sheltering an Eritrean refugee within the monastery walls in 2018. This act brought attention to the community as a place where compassion and protection are lived out in concrete ways.
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