Thesinge Monastery Church

The monastery church of Thesinge is the remnant of a large monastery complex Germania in the village of Thesinge in the Dutch province of Groningen. The church originally formed part of the monastery Germania. This monastery was a so-called double monastery: a monastery for men and a monastery for women. The monastery was built at the end of the 12th century by Benedictine monks on the site of an already existing village. The monastery is built on a low terpen and founded on piles. Because the surrounding peat has subsided and decayed due to erosion, the church stands higher than the surrounding area. The patron saint of the monastery and the church was Saint Felicitas with her seven sons. The monastery owned significant land holdings of about 1400 hectares in various locations in Groningen. The monks engaged in land reclamation and water management. They also made judgments in disputes. The monastery had its own scriptorium, where books were written. One of the nuns who illustrated these books was Stine Dutmers. It was one of the two monasteries with such a scriptorium in the province of Groningen. The current church belonged to the monastery and was founded around 1250. The monastery buildings were temporarily abandoned and partially destroyed between 1584 and 1594, but were then taken back into use. The last nuns died shortly after 1627. The monastery church was partially demolished in 1786. The choir was lowered and is the only remnant of the entire complex.

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