A weathered stone rests here. This unassuming stone marks the spot where St Aegidii once stood. This wasn’t just any church. St Aegidii was a Münster landmark a place of worship and a Cistercian nunnery. Its history stretches back to the 12th century a time of expansion for Münster. The church was founded before 1184 a pious act to improve spiritual care in the growing city. It initially fell under the St Lamberti parish.
Imagine the bustling scene. A land grant in 1184 paved the way for a monastery. The monastery wasn’t established until around 1205. It was Westphalia’s first Cistercian nunnery. The intended parish became a reality sometime later. By 1229 the abbey’s provost was officially titled plebanus meaning parish priest.
Life within St Aegidii’s walls wasn’t always serene. The Cistercian ideal of seclusion was limited. The nuns’ lifestyle resembled that of a noble women’s foundation. Economic changes and a plague around 1350 caused a crisis. Reform attempts linked to the male Cistercian monastery in Marienfeld were unsuccessful. In 1465 St Aegidii became a Benedictine abbey of the Bursfeld Observance. This brought significant changes. Strict enclosure was enforced. Plans to build a separate church never materialized.
The Reformation reached Münster around 1530. Prince-Bishop Franz von Waldeck after initial resistance gave the city council control of six parish churches including St Aegidii. The monasteries and foundations were meant to remain Catholic. Anabaptists arrived in summer 1533 causing an uproar. A heated argument broke out in St Aegidii between a Lutheran council member and an Anabaptist preacher. Seven nuns converted to Anabaptism causing family conflicts. Churches were stormed. Church treasures were stolen. Buildings were severely damaged. Some nuns fled others stayed and married.
After the recapture of Münster in 1535 Bernd Krechting was arrested at the Aegidii monastery. A special tax was levied on religious institutions. The Aegidii monastery’s tax was disproportionately high possibly due to the Anabaptist preacher’s influence. Bishop Johann von Hoya’s 1571 visit revealed details about Catholic reform. In 1588 a shocking event occurred. Domherren Bernhard von Oer and Johann von Westerholt murdered Knight Melchior Droste zu Senden within St Aegidii’s walls.
St Aegidii suffered further damage during the 1656 siege. Most nuns temporarily moved to another monastery. A lightning strike in 1666 caused more destruction. The Seven Years’ War brought new hardships. Reports from the late 18th century paint a bleak picture of convent life. The rejection of socially useless monasteries led to secularization. The Prussian administration stopped admitting novices. The monastery was dissolved in 1811. Assets were sold until 1813.
The church including its 10×10 meter tower was about 30 meters long and 16 meters wide. Originally Romanesque it was rebuilt as a late Gothic hall church after the Anabaptist era. The parish and the monastery shared the costs. Subsequent damage was only partially repaired. The church was closed in 1821. The tower collapsed. The church was demolished. Its foundations lie under the widened Aegidiistrasse. A barracks was built on the site later replaced by the Aegidiimarkt.
Only the baptismal font by Albert Reininck from 1557 and a bell from 1690 survive. They are in the present-day St Aegidii church. A wooden Madonna from the late 15th century is in the Westphalian State Museum. Little remains of the altars and artwork from the original St Aegidii. Much was destroyed during various iconoclastic episodes and sieges. The stones remain a silent testament to a vibrant history. This is St Aegidii’s legacy.