After the Reformation, in the late 16th century, the number of nuns sank to four, so that the choir service could no longer be performed 'properly'. The enclosure was handled carelessly, the habit of the order was spurned. But at the beginning of the turmoil of the 30 Years War, during which the convent temporarily sought refuge in Cologne, the moral decay of the monastery came to an end.
A sad chapter in the history of the monastery in the 18th century was the economic decline caused by bad management and waste. The secularization of 1803, which led to the dissolution of the ecclesiastical properties, was therefore not regretted by the remaining nuns. The small convent willingly left the monastery, which was up for sale. The buyer of the poor building fabric was the Drolshagen citizen Theodor Alterauge. The town acquired the convent building, which had not yet been demolished in 1844 and was intact at that time, for 4,250 thalers. The rooms were used as a school. The building, which was completely renovated in 1987, now houses the municipal building office and the music school. The vaulted cellar is used for a variety of purposes: Art exhibitions as well as wedding ceremonies and events of the VHS. In the attic there is a music hall that is often used.
The Old Monastery in Drolshagen has been owned by the city since 1844 and today houses the municipal building office and the music school. Of the former property of the monastery, the "Eichener Mühle" as a former ban mill and the oldest house of the town at the corner of Hagener-/Gräfin-Sayn-Straße can still be seen. A special gem is the Romanesque basilica of St. Clemens with remains of paintings from the transition from the 10th to the 11th century.
Can only be visited from the outside - vaulted cellar open for exhibitions during vacations.
Text: Drolshagen Marketing e. V.