Gerleve Monastery

Following the famous rules of St. Benedict, the Father of the Occident, the religious brothers of the Benedictine Abbey live in Gerleve Monastery and cordially invite you to get to know the monastery, everyday life, church, foundation and mission statements. While the well-kept estate was only built in 1850, the Benedictine order is the oldest in the Catholic Church and was founded as early as the sixth century. As a place of Christian seeking of God, prayer and hospitality in the name of the order, the Benedictines have inhabited the building since 1899, with many people attending their services and listening to the Gregorian chants. With guest houses and a restaurant, the abbey cultivates hospitality. With seminars and courses in the two houses Ludgerirast and St. Benedict, the order focuses especially on the Christian development and promotion of young people. The houses are venues for days of religious orientation and youth education.Monastery and church in the mirror of time

Monastery: As an inheritance from the Wermelt family, the three childless siblings donated the family farm to found a monastery. The Benedictines of the Archabbey of Beuron accepted the offer and from then on supported the parish priests in the area and helped with agricultural activities. Construction of the monastery began, the first monks moved in in 1904 and an independent abbey was founded, which by 1936 already had around 100 monks. Through constant modernisation in agricultural and technical processes, the abbey grew, became more independent, educated and taught. During the Second World War, Gerleve Abbey was dissolved. It was not until 1946 that monks returned and again devoted themselves to a scientific and modern orientation of the faith and the monastic enterprise. The care of agricultural tasks was restricted, and there was also a greater need in the area of pastoral care. Despite numerous changes due to ecclesiastical requirements, the Gerlev monks retained the Gregorian chant, which is still a unique feature of the monastery brothers today. Through the establishment of a foundation in 2008, it was also possible to realise the youth education houses.

Church: The foundation stone of the neo-Romanesque church was laid in the first year of the 20th century. Already three years later the monks began to celebrate services and the Sacred Heart feast in the still partly unfinished building. In 1938, the façades, which had been badly damaged by the weather, were restored and redesigned. In the years that followed, many structural extensions and changes were made, especially to the decorations and inscriptions. The Lady Chapel was completed in 1955. The church underwent a light-filled redesign in 2004,