Monastery's closure: Benedictine Order relinquishes Wechselburg

, and Administrator

2025 September 12 . 12:08 AM

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Monastic change: Benedictines relinquish Wechselburg monastery

Monastic era concludes: Benedictines depart from Wechselburg monastery - Monastery's closure: Benedictine Order relinquishes Wechselburg

The Catholic Benedictine order has announced that they will be vacating the monastery in Wechselburg, Mittelsachsen, by the end of 2026. This decision was made by the Abbey of Ettal in Bavaria, who currently manage the monastery.

The Wechselburg monastery, situated in the District of Mittelsachsen, is an important spiritual center and a well-known pilgrimage site. It serves as a place of pilgrimage, papal basilica, monastery, and parish church all in one. The monastery church was elevated to a "minor basilica" in 2018.

Father Maurus Kraß, the long-standing prior, will return to the mother monastery at the end of September. Only two monks currently reside in the monastery, and no successor will be sent to replace Prior Kraß. The decision is considered a heavy loss for the Diocese of Dresden-Meißen, as the Benedictines have been providing spiritual guidance and offering spiritual courses at the monastery.

The Benedictines have also been operating a guest house at the monastery, providing accommodation for visitors. In May, an altar painting by the artist Michael Triegel was unveiled in the monastery church, featuring a portrait of the nun Edith Stein, who was murdered by the Nazis.

From the end of October, the convent will no longer be able to provide services in the basilica. Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of the Diocese of Dresden-Meißen expressed his disappointment at the decision, but no new information about the bishop was provided.

The departure of the Benedictines marks the end of an era for the Wechselburg monastery, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for this significant spiritual site.