House of St. Francis

Even members of religious orders needed clean laundry. This important task was entrusted to a spiritual housekeeper who lived in the House of St. Francis on Tiefstraße. Built by the Franciscans in 1698, the house was her residence and workplace.

Assisted by several maids, she ensured that the altar cloths and vestments used in the services at the Paterskirche were always spotless, and that the monks in the neighbouring monastery had clean table linen, bedding, and clothing. She was also entrusted with managing the friars’ finances.

The Roman numerals MDCCLIII (1753), formed using iron wall anchors, indicate the date of a renovation or new construction.

Following secularisation under French rule, the house and the monastery became municipal property in 1802. It was not until the years 1959 to 1968, when Capuchin monks lived here and in a newly built house to the west of the church, that the property once again became part of the monastic complex.

Since 1991, the building has served as a residential facility for an external group from the St. Annenhof Children's Home. In recognition of its historic link to the Franciscan monastery, it has since been known as Haus Franziskus – the House of St. Francis.