The Catholic Collegiate Church of St. Mary [Katholische Stiftskirche St. Marien (church)] in Neuzelle is known as the Baroque wonder of Brandenburg. The magnificent and completely preserved interior of the Catholic Collegiate Church of St. Mary is one of the most impressive features of Neuzelle Abbey. The angels, saints and figures of the Virgin Mary are hard to count. The Bohemian master builders probably wanted to convey an idea of the kingdom of heaven when they transformed the originally Gothic church into a true Baroque jewel in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The baroque wonder of Brandenburg
After the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Neuzelle became a Catholic "model monastery" in the midst of a Protestant environment. The baroque staging of theological content is correspondingly impressive - a representative synthesis of the arts with an impressive world of images and ideas.
Pure Baroque: from 1650, the Gothic collegiate church was redesigned - into an antechamber to heaven.
The hall church, which is essentially late Gothic, was extensively rebuilt between 1650 and 1750. The richly decorated altars are particularly impressive, turning the church interior into a baroque theater backdrop. The lavish decor with stucco work, wall and ceiling paintings and the numerous figures, angels and putti originate from the Bohemian cultural area, as the monastery had very close ties to Prague at the time. The overwhelming spatial experience of the collegiate church is unique in north-eastern Germany.
The Catholic collegiate church of St. Marien today
Since the dissolution of the monastery in 1817, the collegiate church has been used as a Catholic parish church. Today, St. Mary's is the pilgrimage church for the diocese of Görlitz. The Cistercian monks from Heiligenkreuz welcome guests at the daily choir prayer.
The church can be visited individually outside of church services or as part of a guided tour during opening hours (bookings can be made at the Neuzelle visitor information center). Pupils from Rahnschule Neuzelle have developed a special guided tour for young people. This can be downloaded using a QR code.
Christmas, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Easter have restricted visiting times, which are available on request.
Accessible for people with impaired mobility
Accessible for people with visual or hearing impairments
Partly restricted walkable flooring (inside and/or outside)
Everything is accessible at ground level / without stairs
Guest WC is accessible without stairs
There are enough seats available
Changing facility for infants
Distance of the visitor parking spaces to the entrance :
170 m
Supplementary information :
The church is accessible via a ramp. The 2 steps in the entrance area can be overcome very well with it.
Toilets are located on the monastery grounds. In the church everything is at ground level and guests can visit the church interior very well.
The monastery grounds are paved with cobblestones. There is a special path for wheelchairs and wheelchair users.
Toilets are located on the monastery grounds. In the church everything is at ground level and guests can visit the church interior very well.
The monastery grounds are paved with cobblestones. There is a special path for wheelchairs and wheelchair users.
Holidays:
new year: open all daychristmas eve: open all day25.12. (1. Weihnachtsfeiertag): open all day26.12. (1. Weihnachtsfeiertag): open all daysilvester: open all day
Other opening hours:
Church matters (e.g. church services) must be taken into account during the viewing times. The church is not open for tours on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
** Öffnungszeiten können aufgrund von Covid-19 abweichen.
All information, times and prices are regularly checked and updated. Nevertheless, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the data. We recommend that you enquire about the current status by telephone / e-mail or via the provider's website before your visit.