St. Makkabäer, monastery in Cologne, Germany
St. Makkabäer was a Benedictine convent in Cologne's Niederich district, founded in 1178 and located on what is now Machabäerstraße. The complex comprised monastery buildings, a brewing house, and a large church with a choir that was expanded in the early 13th century.
The monastery was established in 1178 at a site where a chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene had stood since around 1134, indicating earlier religious use. After a devastating fire in 1462, the complex was rebuilt in the early 1500s and remained active until secularization in 1802.
The Maccabees were biblical martyrs whose veneration gave this monastery its name and drew pilgrims to the site. The nuns integrated themselves into the city's religious life and shaped Cologne's spiritual character through their prayers and service.
The monastery's location in the Niederich district near Eigelstein Street bears no visible remains today. Visitors can learn about its history through city archives and local history collections.
According to legend, church official Rainald brought the relics of the seven Maccabean brothers from Antioch to Cologne as a gift from Emperor Barbarossa. This discovery made the monastery an important pilgrimage site that attracted visitors from far away.
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