Kloster Blankenau

Blankenau is a former Benedictine convent in the village of Blankenau, part of Hosenfeld in eastern Hesse. It stands in the valley of the Schwarza, below the ruins of Blankenburg castle, which was destroyed in 1264. The present church, once the convent church, is now a branch of the parish of Heilig Kreuz in the Fulda region. The convent was founded in 1265 by Hermann von Schlitz and his wife Agnes as penance after their castle was seized by the abbot of Fulda. Thirty-two nuns arrived from Cruceburg to live under the Rule of St Benedict. The site grew quickly, with lands granted by the abbot and local nobles, and a hospital dedicated to St Elisabeth was added in 1287. By 1565 only four sisters remained, and after the Reformation the convent was dissolved in 1579. The old church still stands, its walls made from stones of the ruined castle. Inside, the vaulted nave and side chapels show 17th-century repairs after damage in the Bauernkrieg. Outside, the graveyard holds the tombs of the convent’s pröpste, several of whom later became prince-abbots of Fulda. The valley is quiet, with only the sound of the Schwarza and the wind in the trees.