Benedictine convent of St Mary, Arendsee

The construction of the convent church of SS. Mary, John and Nicholas began in 1185.

Margrave Otto I, the son of Albert the Bear, founded the Benedictine convent slightly earlier, in 1183. The convent church at Arendsee is one of the most important vaulted brick Romanesque structures in Saxony-Anhalt. It was modelled on Lübeck cathedral and St. Mary’s church in Altenburg. Architecturally, the seven-part main porch (Romanesque) is particularly important as an example of mediaeval structural symbolism. The original decoration includes the finely ornamented frieze and unembellished capitals with palmette decoration on the lintels. It is made entirely of fired clay. Inside the church, the original great sandstone altar table has survived from the early 13th century. The side aisles of the church are barrel-vaulted, while the centre aisle, transept and choir have a groined vault ceiling. Don’t miss the oak crucifix (ca. 1240). The convent buildings fell into disrepair in the 17th century; only ruins remain.