Augustinerchorherrenstift Heilig Kreuz, Augsburg, Augustinian monastery in Augsburg, Germany.
Augustinerchorherrenstift Heilig Kreuz is a monastery complex in Augsburg, Bavaria, built around a three-story baroque main building designed by the architect Michael Thumb. The attached collegiate church shows late Gothic details and stands on grounds that once belonged to the Holy Cross Hospital.
The monastery was founded in 1150 near Muttershofen and moved to Augsburg in 1159 by Bishop Konrad von Hirscheck, who placed it on the grounds of the Holy Cross Hospital. During the 20th century, the institution went through major changes in how it was governed and organized.
The collegiate church houses both a Catholic and a Protestant congregation under one roof, a direct result of Augsburg's parity tradition that allowed both confessions to share civic and religious spaces. Visitors can still see how the interior is divided to serve two separate communities of worship.
Because the site is still used for active worship, it is worth planning a visit outside of service times to have more freedom to look around. Guided tours are available and are a good way to understand how the different parts of the complex relate to each other.
Though the monastery is known today mainly for its baroque architecture, it once held paintings by some of the artists connected to Augsburg's strong tradition of artistic patronage. This made it part of a wider network of religious houses across the city that acted as places where art and faith were closely tied together.
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