Augustinerkloster
About This Site
The Augustinerkloster, begun in 1276, is where a twenty-one-year-old Martin Luther asked to be admitted as a monk in July 1505 — a rare surviving example of a complete medieval monastic complex, church, three courtyards and its conventual buildings still standing together.[1]
A complete medieval monastery, from 1276
Building began in 1276 on a complex that still stands whole today: a church around three enclosed courtyards, with the conventual and working buildings that supported the community around them — the monastery's own foundation calls this completeness a rare surviving example of medieval monastic architecture, independent of who once lived there.[1]
Luther's monastery, 1501–1508
Martin Luther came to Erfurt in April 1501 to study at the university and, in the same year he took his master's degree,[2] asked at the monastery gate to be admitted, on 17 July 1505;[3] he was ordained a priest here in April 1507 and stayed until 1508, when he left for Wittenberg.
A meeting place again
The monastery holds daily guided tours and Sunday services, with the Rosenkirche used for services in summer; it also takes overnight guests in simply furnished rooms and hosts conferences, lectures and a permanent exhibition, Frust und Freiheit, alongside school and digital tours.[1]
Questions visitors ask
- When did Martin Luther enter the Augustinerkloster?
- On 17 July 1505, when he asked at the monastery gate to be admitted, the same year he took his master's degree at Erfurt's university.[3]
- How long did Luther live at the Augustinerkloster?
- From 1505 until 1508, when he left for Wittenberg. He was ordained a priest here in April 1507.[3]
- When was the Augustinerkloster built?
- Building began in 1276 on the complex — church, three enclosed courtyards and conventual buildings — that still stands whole today.[1]
- Can I visit the Augustinerkloster today?
- Yes — it holds daily guided tours and Sunday services, and also hosts conferences, lectures and a permanent exhibition, Frust und Freiheit.[1]
Sources
- Augustinerkloster Erfurt — Evangelisches Augustinerkloster Erfurt, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Martin Luther — Stadt Erfurt, retrieved 30 August 2026
- Martin Luther in Erfurt — Stadt Erfurt, retrieved 30 August 2026
Connected Historical Figures
reformer • theologian • preacher
Luther asked to be admitted here in July 1505, was ordained a priest in the monastery in 1507, and lived here as a monk until he left for Wittenberg in 1508.
Visit Information
Guided tours daily; services on Sundays, and in summer also in the Rosenkirche
Augustinerstraße 10, 99084 Erfurt
In Weimar's history
Around Weimar
20 km West
The monastery where Erfurt's most famous student became a monk, one of the sights a day trip to the city is planned around.