- Trier
In the 7th century, establishing oneself in a prominent position in society as a woman required a suitable amount of assertiveness – and the right background. St Irmina had both. While legends about her family tree have spiralled out of control, she did very likely come from a powerful family, who must have had close ties with the later Carolingian dynasty. As such, Irmina is also the great-great-great-grandmother of Charlemagne. Following the death of her husband, who also was also of high-ranking noble lineage, Irmina took charge of business, co-founded Echternach Abbey, and eventually became the second abbess at Oeren convent, which was later named after her to become the Benedictine convent of St Irmina.
But the word ‘Oeren’ itself is evidence that the convent wasn’t just built on green grass in the 7th century. Serving as the foundations of the complex were the Roman ‘horrea’, the ancient granaries, which have still been partly preserved in the complex’s western wing. But later generations naturally also left their architectural mark, and visitors today will particularly notice the abbey’s Romanesque belltower and the impressive western wing on the shores of the Moselle, which was renovated around 1740. Like so many other churches and monasteries, however, St Irmina’s was also dissolved under Napoleon, and ultimately converted into a civil hospital, which unfortunately did not survive World War II. Since 1960, the complex has been an aged-care and nursing home, providing capacity for up to 168 people. As such, there is only very limited accessibility for the general public.
Visits are only possible outside of church services.
On the map
Irminenfreihof 2
54290 Trier
DE
Phone: +49 651 9450
E-mail: info@vereinigtehospitien.de
Website: vereinigtehospitien.de/stiftung/sehenswuerdigkeiten/rokokokirche-st-irmi
General information
Openings
Dayoff
Sunday