Thankmarsfelde was a former
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...
of Germany, south of
Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Geography
It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipal area comprises the vi ...
.
It was founded and endowed by Archbishop
Gero of Cologne and his brother,
Margrave Thietmar on 29 August 970 in the church in Thankmarsfelde. The monastery was moved to
Nienburg Abbey
Nienburg Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in Nienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
History
Abbey
Nienburg was for centuries on the extreme eastern edge of the settled territory of Germany. With the aim of converting the then Sorbian popu ...
in 975 with the aim of bringing the Christian faith to the
Sorb population in
Gau Serimuntt. The founding of the monastery was confirmed by
Pope John XIII
Pope John XIII (; ca. 930 – 6 September 972) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 October 965 to his death. His pontificate was caught up in the continuing conflict between the Holy Roman emperor, Otto I, and the Roman n ...
on 25 December 971.
Monasteries in Saxony-Anhalt
Harz
History of Anhalt
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