Neuzelle Abbey, Cistercian monastery in Neuzelle, Germany
Neuzelle Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Neuzelle, Brandenburg, with a Baroque church whose 70-metre tower rises from the centre of a three-axis facade. The church interior has a three-aisled hall with a rounded presbytery, stucco work by J. B. Comet and illusionistic paintings by J. Vanet from 1654–1658. A white gateway with a sculpted coat of arms and four statues stands before the yellow facade with its blue-centred clock.
Henry the Illustrious, Margrave of Meissen and Lusatia, founded Nova Cella in 1268 to honor his wife Agnes. The originally Gothic buildings were transformed into Baroque architecture starting in 1650.
The monastery church of St. Mary's Assumption has remained Catholic and has served as a pilgrimage church since 1947, when believers in the German part of the Archdiocese of Breslau were cut off from Silesian pilgrimage sites. Youth pilgrimages are held here each year on Trinity Sunday, and the Diocese of Görlitz's diocesan pilgrimage arrives on the first Sunday in September. The nearby Church of the Holy Cross belonged to the Protestants.
Visitors can explore the grounds during daylight hours and join guided tours through the churches and museum. The gardens provide a quiet space for walking, while exhibition rooms remain accessible throughout the year.
The Cistercians from Heiligenkreuz in Austria first planned to resettle Neuzelle itself, but instead founded the new monastery Maria Friedenshort; four monks arrived on 27 August 2017, and the priory was canonically established on 2 September 2018. The Heavenly Theatre is an underground exhibition of 15 paintings of the Passion from around 1750, taken from the Neuzelle Holy Sepulchre.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,457 contributors worldwide.