Zisterzienserinnenkloster Schale

The former Cistercian convent of Schale stands in the village of Schale, part of Hopsten in the Tecklenburg region of Westphalia. Founded in 1278 by the brothers Johannes and Lambertus, it belonged to the nearby convent of Börstel. The name ad Scalam dei gave the village its ladder emblem in the coat of arms. After the Reformation the buildings were bought by Konrad von Tecklenburg in 1535 and turned into an evangelical parish. Most of the convent was later lost, probably in the Thirty Years War, though the church survived. The church itself was built in the late 13th century, blending Romanesque and early Gothic forms. Its single nave, square choir and open western tower show both rounded and pointed arches. By the 19th century the tower had collapsed to roof height and was covered by the nave’s roof. In 1899 a second aisle was added on the south side, the tower was raised and topped with a pyramid roof. Recent work in 2002 replaced the belfry beams to secure the structure. Visitors find a quiet village church that still carries traces of its convent past. The nave’s two bays and the small square choir remain from the original design. Round and pointed windows mark the transition between styles. The rebuilt tower now rises above the roofline, its pyramid cap visible from the surrounding lanes. Inside, the space feels calm and orderly, a reminder of the Cistercians who once lived here.