Mariensee Monastery

History and Development of the Monastery

In 1221, Count Bernhard von Wölpe relocated the Cistercian monastery of Mariensee, which he had founded, to his estate at Catenhusen on the Leine River.
In the years that followed, the monastery’s name supplanted the old place name. The abbey church, a single-nave brick structure from the 13th century, became a parish church after the Reformation.
It acquired its present form following a renovation in 1860.
At that time, the abbey was converted into a Protestant convent for women, which it remains to this day.

The poet Ludwig Christoph Hölty was born in 1748 in the rectory of Mariensee; as a member of the Göttingen Hainbund, he became famous far beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Hanover for his song “Üb immer Treu und Redlichkeit.”

Today, the monastery serves not only as a place of worship but also as a cultural hub. Guided tours, exhibitions, concerts, and seminars offer insights into its history and monastic life.