Stift Metelen, Religious community in Metelen, Germany.

Stift Metelen is a monastery complex centered on the Church of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian in the town of Metelen. It consists of interconnected residential buildings and surrounding walls that form a self-contained architectural grouping.

The site was founded in 889 by noblewoman Friduwi and received royal protection from King Arnulf of Carinthia. It maintained independence from local bishops and preserved its status as a separate authority across the centuries.

The religious community functioned as a place where women lived in separate houses yet remained connected through shared spiritual life. This arrangement shaped how the settlement developed and how people moved through the interconnected buildings.

The site is accessible from the outside and the church can often be visited, allowing visitors to see the architecture and connected buildings. Walking around the complex on foot is the best way to understand how the different areas are laid out and connected.

The last abbess, Anna Elisabeth von Droste zu Hülshoff (1733–1805), was great-aunt and godmother to the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, who visited her at Metelen with her family. The convent usually counted 13 to 15 women, drawn from noble families and, in the Middle Ages, sometimes from burgher families.