Trillkloster

The Trillkloster was a medieval foundation in Halberstadt, a town in the Harz region. It began as a house for the Cellites, a lay brotherhood devoted to nursing the sick. Later it became a hospital and then an almshouse, serving the city from the 14th to the 19th century. The Cellites were known by many names over the years: Trullebrodern, Cellenbroderen, Celliten or Lollarden, and finally Trolbrüder. A priest joined them in 1375, and Johannes Busch, a noted Augustinian, visited in 1471. Their main work was nursing, and in 1500 they opened the Maria-Magdalenen-Hospital nearby. After 1810 the buildings were sold and the hospital was pulled down in 1853. Today only the name Trillgasse recalls the site. The street corner marks where the chapel once stood beside the garden. A small square, the Maria-Magdalenen-Platz, briefly carried the memory of the hospital. The old records speak of an altar, pulpit and pews removed in the 19th century, but nothing of the walls remains.