The Augustinerkloster in Erfurt is a built from 1277, former monastery of the Augustinian Hermits, in which Martin Luther lived between 1505 and 1511 as a monk. In the lion and parrot window of the choir window of the Augustinian church of the monastery is the model of the Lutherrose. After the Reformation in 1525, the monastery became the property of the Evangelical Church; In 1559 it was secularized by the city of Erfurt. In 1945, parts of the monastery were destroyed in an air raid. Since 1994 the Augustinerkloster is the official residence of the provost Erfurt-Nordhausen. The building is used primarily as a meeting and meeting center. The monastery is a recognized cultural monument according to the Thuringian Monument Protection Law (Wikipedia).
There had been a branch of the Augustinian hermits in Erfurt since 1266. These were temporarily expelled from 1273 after disputes with the city, but finally returned in 1276. Its seat was the church “St. Philippi and Jacobi” on Comthurgasse. Construction of the monastery began in 1277. The funds for the extensive construction work were raised in the following centuries through alms and the sale of indulgences. By 1518, the construction of the library, St. Catherine's Chapel, the chapter house, the church tower, a cloister, the nave, the woad houses and the new priory between the library and the woad houses was financed. What is particularly noteworthy about the preserved buildings are the church's stained glass windows, which were manufactured between 1310 and 1340, and the outside pulpit, which shows that sermons were also held outdoors for large crowds at that time.
The school of the monastery was important. It was founded by Heinrich von Friemar (the elder) and offered general studies. From the beginning of the 14th century, the monastery library was also built. The library building was completed in 1516. Martin Luther belonged to the monastery between 1505 and 1511. He was ordained a priest in 1507 and said his first mass here on May 2, 1507.
reformation
Johannes Lang, a good friend of Luther, became prior of the monastery in 1522 and prepared the Reformation in Erfurt and the surrounding area. That same year, Lang resigned from the order along with many of the monks. In 1525 the church was handed over to the Johannesgemeinde. In 1556 the last monk died. The monastery was finally secularized in 1559.
From 1561, the west wing and priory were used by the city's council high school. For this purpose, the dormitory was converted into accommodation for the students. The school existed until 1820. The monastery library was damaged during the Reformation, but was revived in 1646 when the library of the Evangelical Ministry moved here. The Protestant orphanage used part of the former monastery from 1669.
The Augustinian hermits settled again in Erfurt in the middle of the 17th century, but in a different location: they converted the Valentinerhof, located next to the Wigberti Church, into a monastery. In 1822 this monastery was also dissolved.