Published on October 2, 2023 by Hamborn Abbey

The Catholic order of the Premonstratensians opened its new monastery on the banks of the Elbe in Magdeburg with an ecumenical service. The guests included Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff and Bishop Gerhard Feige.

Reiner Haseloff went into raptures during his speech at the ecumenical service in St. Peter’s Church. “Magdeburg now has a new holy district,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister in front of around 400 guests. The CDU politician chose these words on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Premonstratensian monastery building. The order was finally able to move into the building on the banks of the Elbe on October 2nd after around five years of construction.

“With the new building, the Christian minority is sending the signal that the Christian faith is one of the roots of the free-democratic basic order,” said Haseloff. The Christians in the city are open to the entire society in order to advocate peaceful coexistence.

Magdeburg receives the relic of Saint Norbert

The head of government presented a special relic to Father Clemens Dölken, who heads the priory in Magdeburg. It was a fragment of the remains of Saint Norbert of Xanten.

The founder of the Premonstratensian Order was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1126 until his death. The bones of Saint Norbert were located in the monastery of Our Lady there – until Caspar von Questenberg, the then abbot of the Strahov monastery, brought them to Prague in 1626.

Many prominent representatives from the church, politics and business came to Magdeburg for the ceremony – among them Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige. “I admire the strength and enthusiasm as well as the courage and confidence associated with this building,” said the clergyman. Jos Wouters, Abbot General of the Premonstratensians, was also a guest in Magdeburg and praised the commitment of his confreres in Saxony-Anhalt.

Exchange in the ecumenical courts

The monastery was built in the “Ecumenical Courts” , an area between the Catholic St. Peter’s Church and the Protestant Walloon Church. The site is home to the Catholic parish of St. Augustine, the Protestant old town community, the Evangelical Reformed community and the two student communities. With the new building, the order will receive rooms that are necessary for an authentic monastic life. Exchange and a welcoming culture are possible here.

Premonstratensians inaugurate new monastery building in Magdeburg

Published on October 2, 2023 by Hamborn Abbey

The Catholic order of the Premonstratensians opened its new monastery on the banks of the Elbe in Magdeburg with an ecumenical service. The guests included Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff and Bishop Gerhard Feige.

Reiner Haseloff went into raptures during his speech at the ecumenical service in St. Peter’s Church. “Magdeburg now has a new holy district,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister in front of around 400 guests. The CDU politician chose these words on the occasion of the inauguration of the new Premonstratensian monastery building. The order was finally able to move into the building on the banks of the Elbe on October 2nd after around five years of construction.

“With the new building, the Christian minority is sending the signal that the Christian faith is one of the roots of the free-democratic basic order,” said Haseloff. The Christians in the city are open to the entire society in order to advocate peaceful coexistence.

Magdeburg receives the relic of Saint Norbert

The head of government presented a special relic to Father Clemens Dölken, who heads the priory in Magdeburg. It was a fragment of the remains of Saint Norbert of Xanten.

The founder of the Premonstratensian Order was Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1126 until his death. The bones of Saint Norbert were located in the monastery of Our Lady there – until Caspar von Questenberg, the then abbot of the Strahov monastery, brought them to Prague in 1626.

Many prominent representatives from the church, politics and business came to Magdeburg for the ceremony – among them Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige. “I admire the strength and enthusiasm as well as the courage and confidence associated with this building,” said the clergyman. Jos Wouters, Abbot General of the Premonstratensians, was also a guest in Magdeburg and praised the commitment of his confreres in Saxony-Anhalt.

Exchange in the ecumenical courts

The monastery was built in the “Ecumenical Courts” , an area between the Catholic St. Peter’s Church and the Protestant Walloon Church. The site is home to the Catholic parish of St. Augustine, the Protestant old town community, the Evangelical Reformed community and the two student communities. With the new building, the order will receive rooms that are necessary for an authentic monastic life. Exchange and a welcoming culture are possible here.

Abbot General Jos Wouters was also a guest in Magdeburg.  Photo: Daniel Elke / Hamborn Abbey

Abbot General Jos Wouters was also a guest in Magdeburg. Photo: Daniel Elke / Hamborn Abbey

Father Clemens had fought for the project for a long time . He was not discouraged by construction delays following the discovery of a Romanesque room or by general price increases. The new building was originally supposed to cost around 3.5 million euros, but in the end it was more than five million euros.

Since the order has little financial resources, it continues to collect donations. Support was provided by the Magdeburg Premonstratensian Monastery Support Association, the Bonifatiuswerk, other dioceses, foundations and funding from monument preservation.

Praise for the Premonstratensians    

The order has a high status in the city. The regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, Johann Schneider, made this clear during his speech. He recalled the denominational disputes that took place in Magdeburg in the past centuries. “The conflict is over,” said Schneider and addressed words of praise to the Premonstratensians: “Thank God they are back – and the city is happy.”

There has been a priory of Hamborn Abbey in Magdeburg since 1991. The new monastery is intended to offer guests more space and be a place for dialogue with society. Father Clemens was happy when the architect Christian Münster and the Magdeburg real estate manager Heinrich Sonsalla handed him the key. Bishop Gerhard Feige blessed the building with holy water and Abbot Albert Dölken thanked the guests for coming.