Kyritz Friary () is a former

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

in the old town of

Kyritz Kyritz () is a town in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 28 km west of Neuruppin and 28 km southeast of Pritzwalk. The town has 9,260 inhabitants (2019). Overview The town is situated near the , ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Only a few walls and ruins remain, although the round-arched window and roof vaulting of the

Early Gothic Early Gothic is the term for the first period of Gothic architecture which lasted from about 1120 until about 1200. The early Gothic builders used innovative technologies to resolve the problem of masonry ceilings which were too heavy for the t ...

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

are still discernible. According to a Bible kept in the town hall until about 1900, if not later, the friary church was built in 1225, although the surviving structural remains are of the second half of the 14th century. The first contemporary record of the friary dates from 1303.

History

In 1539 the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

reached Kyritz, and the friary was dissolved in 1552. In the same year the friary church and the adjacent buildings passed into the possession of the town of Kyritz under the condition that it should be used for the benefit of the poor. It later passed through the hands of numerous owners. For several decades it was used as a garrison church for troops stationed here. In 1781 the remaining friary buildings, which in the meantime had become derelict, were auctioned off for demolition, including the church, the graveyard and the friary walls, which at that time were still standing. The terms of sale protected those parts of the church which still remain from destruction. On one part of the former graveyard houses and stables were built.

Present day

Since 1995 the historical society "Kyritzer Knattermimen" has been restoring the friary garden. Among the ruins of the church a small stage for 300 spectators has been constructed for various events such as theatrical performances ("''Theaternächte im Klostergarten''"), music festivals, classical music concerts and public readings.

Sources and external links

Kyritz town homepage
Franciscan monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Brandenburg {{catholic-monastery-stub