Abbey of St. Nikola in Passau, Augustinian monastery in Passau, Germany

The Abbey of St. Nikola is a former Augustinian canonry whose long cream-colored building with a red-brown sloped roof stands behind a strip of grass and a paved area. Its facade has three tiers of dark rectangular windows with light frames, small dormer windows along the roofline, and an arched entrance portal framed by darker stone on the right side of the ground level. The complex is now the mother house of the Sisters of the Teutonic Order.

Bishop Altmann of Passau founded the monastery in 1067, and Pope Alexander II granted it official confirmation in 1072. These two moments established it as an important church institution.

The monastery's name comes from Saint Nicholas of Myra, whose life is depicted in three ceiling paintings per nave bay. The church interior was redecorated in 1716 by Johann Michael Prunner and Jakob Pawanger, with stucco by Giovanni Battista d'Allio and frescoes by Wolfgang Andreas Heindl. The former refectory now serves as the chapel of the Teutonic Order sisters.

The complex lies on Bavarian territory across from the prince-bishopric's Passau; the Kleine Exerzierplatz opposite occupies the former monastery garden. Parts of the south and west wings have housed the University of Passau since 1972, while the former church long served as a military storage hall. Expect shared use rather than a single museum visit.

In 1666, the abbots of the monastery received permission to wear the miter, a rare sign of their elevated church rank. This honor reflects the importance the monastery had gained within the broader church hierarchy.