Aufhausen Priory, Benedictine monastery in Aufhausen near Regensburg, Germany.
Aufhausen Priory is a former Oratorian monastery near Regensburg in Bavaria, now home to an Oratorian community. The yellow plastered building has a red tiled roof and a tower with a dark green onion dome, lantern and spire. Its long side wall has two rows of arched windows, and the right gable end has a curved facade with an arched entrance door.
The monastery, dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows, was founded in the late 17th century by the local priest Johann Georg Seidenbusch, who became its first provost. It was not dissolved during Bavaria's secularisation of 1802–03 and kept the title "Königliches Nerianerinstitut" until at least 1829. The last provost died in 1886; in 1890 Benedictines from Metten re-settled and partly rebuilt the site, and the priory was abandoned again in 1978.
The community is Oratorian, not Benedictine: the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Aufhausen emerged in 2012 from the Brothers of the Holy Blood founded by Father Winfried M. Wermter in 2006. The Servants of the Holy Blood, also founded by Wermter in 2009, assist them, and together with the Community of the Holy Blood they form the Spiritual Family of the Holy Blood.
The grounds are open during daylight hours and visitors can view the preserved architectural features that earned it heritage status. Keep in mind this is an active religious site, so respectful behavior is important during your visit.
The title "Königliches Nerianerinstitut" (Royal Nerian Institute) was not a new foundation but the name the house kept after Bavaria's secularisation of 1802–03 spared it dissolution; it held that title until at least 1829. The name refers to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, not to a separate institute.
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