Hermitage (Bretzenheim)

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Rock Hermitage (also called rock monastery)

The Hermitage Bretzenheim between Bretzenheim / Nahe and Guldental , five kilometers north of Bad Kreuznach is a hermitage that is considered the only rock monastery north of the Alps. Already in prehistoric times it was probably carved into the rock as a pagan place of worship and in Roman times it was used as a mithraium up to the 5th century . It experienced a Christian rededication in early Christian times, probably from the 6th to 8th centuries. It was first mentioned in a document in 1043 in the form of an altar consecrated at this time. The church from this period and one built later, which fell victim to a landslide in 1567, no longer exist today, in contrast to the rock dwelling that is still accessible today. This has a size of approx. 90 m² and served at times as a convent of a monastery or hermits, the last of whom died in 1827 at the age of 82.

The rock hermitage was removed from the property of the kreuznacher diakonie foundation in 2019 and sold to the municipality of Bretzenheim . The site can be visited at any time. The rock apartment can only be visited as part of a guided tour.

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Coordinates: 49 ° 53 ′ 15 ″  N , 7 ° 52 ′ 15 ″  E