Carmelite Monastery in Bamberg, Bamberg

The Carmelite Monastery of Saint Maria and Saint Theodor am Kaulberg has a long and diverse history. Originally a Cistercian abbey, it later became a Carmelite monastery in 1589 and was repurchased by the Carmelite order after a period of secularization.

The church displays a mix of architectural styles, with Romanesque elements preserved underground and the remaining lion portal as a visible reminder. Originally planned with two towers, only one was completed, and the second tower remained unfinished until 1808.

Bishop Hermann II, who served in the 12th century, found his final resting place in the church, further emphasizing its spiritual and historical significance.

During the baroque period, the church underwent substantial renovations by architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer. The high altar was relocated from the east to the west, resulting in the lion portal losing its main entrance function.

The east facade, now the entrance side, was artistically adorned by Leonhard Gollwitzer, featuring a sculpture of Maria with child and the scapular. Niches on the facade house statues of Carmelite saints, and the gable end showcases the prophet Elias, symbolizing the order's Old Testament roots.

After the monastery's dissolution, the Carmelite order repurchased the monastery and church a century later. The interior was furnished in a neo-baroque style by Frater Alois Ehrlich, the monastery's carpenter. While most of the current interior dates from after 1902, the Holy Family altar and pulpit were original pieces reacquired and reinstalled.

The church's unfinished tower was completed in 1808 by Bavarian master builder Ferdinand Freiherr von Hohenhausen. The construction debris was used to fill up Altenburger Straße, now a square in front of the Zur Matern restaurant.

In the 1990s, as part of the monastery's revitalization, a crypt was created beneath the church as a new burial place. It became the collective grave for individuals previously buried in the abandoned Bamberg cemetery.