Seligenstadt Abbey

Monastic life between the Middle Ages and the Baroque period

Seligenstadt’s former Benedictine abbey is unusual in several respects. It’s almost completely preserved, and the heights of its prosperity took place almost an entire millenium apart. The monastery garden dates back to the abbey’s foundation by Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, and the complex was later rebuilt in the baroque style.

The reconstructed medicinal herb garden also dates back to this time, in which the examples of the medieval period - such as that in Lorsch - played an important role. The herb garden also supplied the local populace, and a variety of useful and ornamental plants are displayed here. The original medieval walls have been preserved in the abbey church and cloister, but the monastery complex was converted to baroque style after it was damaged in the late 17th century during the Thirty Years' War. The fountain, garden and mill were built inside the monastery from the outset, as per the specifications of St. Benedict. Today, the monastery mill is in operation once again, and on baking days, the smell of fresh bread fills the air.

This place is maintained by the State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse.