St. Augustine's Monastery (Erfurt)
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 Location within Germany
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| Monastery information | |
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| Established | 13th century |
| Controlled churches | Catholic Church; Protestant Church; Evangelical Church in Central Germany |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Augustine monks |
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| Site | |
| Location | Erfurt |
| Country | Germany |
| Coordinates | 50°58′53.25″N 11°1′48.02″E / 50.9814583°N 11.0300056°ECoordinates: 50°58′53.25″N 11°1′48.02″E / 50.9814583°N 11.0300056°E |
St. Augustine's Monastery (Augustinerkloster in German) in Erfurt, in central Germany, is a former church and monastery complex dating from the 13th century. The site is almost one hectare in size. It was built by Augustinian monks, an order of the Catholic Church. It is most well known as the former home of Martin Luther (1483-1546), the father of the Reformation, who lived there as a monk from 1505 until 1511.
About 74 ordained and 70 lay monks lived at the monastery at its peak in the early 16th century. After the Reformation, from 1525 the monastery church was used by the local Lutheran congregation. The site became the property of Erfurt city council after the last monk died in 1556. It was secularised in 1559, but was later reconsecrated in 1854. It now belongs to the Evangelical Church in Central Germany.
Parts of the complex were destroyed in a British air raid in 1945, in which 267 people sheltering on the site were killed. Today the complex has a mixture of medieval and modern buildings. It is now used as a place of worship and as a meeting and conference centre. Music concerts are performed in the church, which has a Walcker organ, built in 1938. It also provides simple accommodation for travellers and for retreats.
In February 2016, an application was made to have St. Augustine's Monastery, along with 11 other sites, added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site designated "Luther Sites in Central Germany". Because of their role in the Reformation, all of these sites are considered to "represent one of the most important events in the religious and political history of the world".
Augustinians had lived in Erfurt since 1266. After some disputes with the city, they were temporarily expelled in 1273, but were allowed to return permanently in 1276. The construction of the church and monastery complex began in 1277, funded by donations given to the monks and the sale of indulgences.
Building work continued, with the construction of the St. Katherine's chapel (German: Katharinenkapelle), the chapter house, the church tower, a cloister, and a longhouse and a new priory. The stained glass windows of the church, which were created between 1310 and 1340, are particularly noteworthy.
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