Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

Wiblingen Abbey was founded in 1093 by Counts Hartmann and Otto de Kirchberg. Throughout the Middle Ages, the abbey became famous for its school activities and its strict adherence to the rule of St. Benedict, which made it a stronghold of the Benedictines in Germany. From 1714 onwards, the abbey was modernised. Most of the monuments were transformed into Baroque style, except for the church, which was restored in neoclassical style. The famous library to the north of the abbey was also designed by Wiedemann and completed in 1744. The facade of this building was modelled on that of the Vienna Imperial Library.

Wienhausen Abbey was founded around 1230, but the oldest preserved building of the monastery is the All Saints' Chapel, built around 1290. The small, almost square building has only a single Gothic cross-wheel vault inside. The wall and vault paintings date from the time of its construction.

The Wieskirche is a pilgrimage church in the Bavarian "Pfaffenwinkel" ("priests' corner": due to the large number of churches and monasteries in the region). The pilgrims come to see a wooden figure of the "Scourged Savior" who supposedly cried real tears in 1738. Built in the middle of the eighteenth century in a Rococo style, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

Willibrordi Cathedral is a late Gothic basilica built between 1498 and 1540 with a tower dating from 1478. In 1540, the town joined the Reformation and the church became a protestant church. Under the influence of religious refugees, the church became a centre of the Reformed denomination. This development led to a simple interior of the church. Many objects such as paintings and sculptures were sold. In 1874, the cathedral was closed due to dilapidation. With the help of the Prussian rulers, the church was then renovated in the neo-gothic style. In 1945, Willibrordi Cathedral was severely damaged during the war. In 1947, the Willibrordi Cathedral Association was founded with the aim of rebuilding the church according to the plan of the late Middle Ages.

The Worlitz Synagogue was built in 1790 by the order of Duke Leopold III of Anhalt-Dessau. It can be found within the Dessau-Worlitz Garden Realm UNESCO World Heritage site. The Worlitz synagogue was modelled after a synagogue designed by Erdmannsdorf in Rome.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms is one of the most important Romanesque churches in the Rhine valley, together with the cathedrals of Speyer and Mainz. Only the ground plan and the lower part of the western towers are from the original construction consecrated in 1110. The rest was largely completed in 1181, but the west chancel and vault were built in the 13th century, the elaborate south portal was added in the 14th century, and the central dome was rebuilt.

St. Kilian's Cathedral in Würzburg is a Romanesque church built from 1040. It is said to be the fourth largest Romanesque basilica in Germany. It is the third church on the site, the two previous ones, built around 787 and 855, were destroyed by fire. The side aisles were remodelled around 1500 in the late Gothic style. Pietro Magno decorated the cathedral with Baroque stuccoes in 1701. Most of the building collapsed after the Second World War. Reconstruction was completed in 1967.

Zehdenick Monastery was a convent for Cistercian nuns founded around 1250. After almost 300 years, it was converted into a Protestant convent in 1541. The buildings were destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, except for some vestiges. The preserved buildings today house church and cultural institutions.

The church was built in the 12th and 13th century as a fortified church. At that time only the nave stood. The tower was only added in the 18th century and today it offers living space for two kestrels and a barn owl.

The former Cistercian monastery of Zinna was founded in 1170 by the Archbishop of Magdeburg. The oldest building in the complex is the late Romanesque fieldstone church, which was begun in the 12th century. In 1553, the last abbot left the monastery. The enclosure was largely demolished in the 18th century and the monastery area to the south was covered with modern buildings. In 1492, the first printed book in the area, a Marian psalm, was created in the monastery.