Nütschau Priory

Nütschau Priory, now St Ansgar's Priory (German: Kloster Nütschau or Priorat Sankt Ansgar) is a monastery of the Benedictine Order located at Travenbrück near Bad Oldesloe, Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. It is the northernmost Benedictine monastery in Germany. History Around 830 a castle was built on the Trave, surrounded and secured with an earth wall: the Nütschauer Schanze, part of a Carolingian fortification. In 1577 Heinrich Rantzau built the small moated castle, the "Castrum Nutzkow". A turret was added to the central gable in 1792. The Benedictine monastery originated after World War II as a refuge for displaced persons, particularly Catholics from the former German territories. The church acquired the former Nütschau manor house (Herrenhaus Nütschau) in 1951 and at the request of Hermann Wilhelm Berning, the Bishop of Osnabrück, it was developed by and staffed from Gerleve Abbey. St Ansgar's House (Haus Sankt Ansgar) opened in 1954, initially as a retreat house. In November 1960 the community was raised to the status of a priory under Gerleve. In 1965, Bishop Helmut Herrmann Wittler donated an Ansgar reliquary to the monastery at Nütschau. The priory church of St Ansgar was built in 1974, and in 1975 Nütschau became an independent monastery, which now includes a training house and a youth house. Guided tours through the grounds and the manor house are available by appointment. The monks offer pilgrims on the "Way of St. James" and on the "Monk's Path" shelter for the night. As of 2022, there were nineteen monks in residence. The priory is part of the Beuronese Congregation. Priors Under direct control of the Abbot of Gerleve: 1951-60 Pius Buddenborg Priory of Gerleve Abbey 1960-71 Amandus Eilermann 1971-75 Gaudentius Sauermann Independent priory 1975-94 Gaudentius Sauermann 1994 Antonius Terstiege From 1994 Leo Overmeyer References Further reading Johannes von Schröder: Darstellungen von Schlössern und Herrenhäusern der Herzogthümer Schleswig-Holstein-Lauenburg vorzugsweise aus dem 15. und 16. Jahrhundert. Hamburg 1862, pp. 100f. Peter Hirschfeld: Herrenhäuser und Schlösser in Schleswig-Holstein. Deutscher Kunstverlag, München 1973, pp. 56f. Abtei Gerleve: Ein Überblick über Werden, Wachsen und Wirken 1904–1974. Lunen 1974 (also as special eition: Kloster Nütschau. Benediktiner-Priorat St. Ansgar) Gaudentius Sauermann: Kirchweihe in Nütschau. BM 51, 1975, pp. 148–150. Gaudentius Sauermann: Die Errichtung des Konventualpriorats St. Ansgar in Nütschau am 14. bis 16. Oktober 1975. BM 52, 1976, pp. 139–141. Amandus Eilermann: "Nütschau". In: Die Benediktinerklöster in Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein und Bremen. Germania Benedictina, Band VI. Norddeutschland. St. Ottilien 1979, ISBN 3880966060, pp. 386–388. Die Benediktinerabtei Gerleve: Ihr Werden. Wachsen und Wirken. Die Gründung von Sankt Ansgar in Nütschau/Holstein. Münster 1998, ISBN 3402053772, pp. 123–134. Gaudentius Sauermann et al.: Per ducatum evangelii. Benediktiner-Kloster Nütschau – Unter der Führung des Evangeliums. Katholische Verlagsgesellschaft Sankt Ansgar, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3932379209. Hans-Werner Rickert: Gut Nütschau – vom Rittersitz zum Benediktinerkloster. Eine Chronik. Wachholtz, Neumünster 2007, ISBN 9783529063602. Helmut Behrens: "Vom Herrenhaus zum Haus des Herrn." Die Sanierung des Herrenhauses Nütschau. In: Gesellschaft für Schleswig-Holsteinische Geschichte. Mitteilungen. Heft 73, February 2008, pp. 19–27 (online). Deert Lafrenz: Gutshöfe und Herrenhäuser in Schleswig-Holstein. Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Schleswig-Holstein. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg, 2nd edition 2015, ISBN 9783865689719, p. 407. External links Website of Nütschau Priory (in German)