Built in 1670 as a Benedictine convent the Kilianeum has a rich history. It started as St Afra convent. This convent was demolished to make way for new city fortifications. The new convent was built on a former cemetery. It stood between the Stephanstor and Konradstor. For almost 700 years the Benedictine nuns lived and worked here. They were renowned for their needlework and cultured lifestyle. Then in 1803 the Bavarian government dissolved the convent. The Kilianeum was sold at auction. Its furnishings were sold off. Many of these items ended up in churches that needed new decorations. This marked the end of a magnificent tradition.
In 1871 the Kilianeum was reborn. It opened as a boys’ seminary. It was named Chilianeum at first then Kilianeum. Bishop Georg Anton von Stahl initiated this. He wanted to provide a secondary education to boys who lacked the means. The Kilianeum provided a path to higher education even the priesthood. Initially the Kilianeum housed only 20 students. Demand was high. More buildings were acquired. By 1922 the Kilianeum had expanded to include the south and west wings. It could house 200 students. In 1927 another Kilianeum was opened in Miltenberg. Bad Koenigshofen got one in 1964. Both later had different purposes.
During the Nazi era the Kilianeum was seized. It became a police and Gestapo headquarters. Then it was destroyed during World War II. After the war it was rebuilt. It reopened in 1952. Bishop Julius Doepfner presided over the ceremony. The Kilianeum flourished in the 1950s and 60s. Its student numbers peaked at 270. An expansion added a swimming pool a chapel and more rooms. Then in the 1980s student numbers began to decline. By 1993 only 50 students remained. In 1998 the Kilianeum closed its doors as a boarding school.
Today the Kilianeum serves a different purpose. It is the House of Youth. It houses the Catholic youth work and the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend. Numerous departments and offices have found a home within its walls. The former chapel was transformed into a youth church. This offers space for meditation and contemporary worship. The Kilianeum stands as a testament to the past. Its walls echo with the stories of nuns students and those who shaped its history.