Maria Engelport

How long to stay?

A break is enough. You arrive here from Treis in the morning, and 19.0 kilometres to Bullay still lie ahead of you. Half an hour in the church or at the Lourdes grotto does you good. If you want to split the stage, ask at the monastery for a bed and join the Mass in the evening.

Maria Engelport in Ninja numbers

• 7.1 kilometres lie behind you since Treis, and 6.4 remain to Beilstein on the Mosel-Camino.
• 113.7 kilometres is the distance from here to Trier.
• 88 centimetres is the height of the Virgin and Child from the early 15th century, the image pilgrims come here to venerate.
• 2014 is the year the sisters of adoration moved into the monastery.

Arriving: into the Flaumbach valley

From Treis you climb onto the heights, up to 321 metres, and then turn into the Flaumbach valley. Down by the stream lies the monastery, at 153 metres. The stage to here measures 7.1 kilometres with 240 metres of ascent and 176 metres of descent.

In brief: founded four times

Around 1220 a knight from Monreal founded a convent here for Cistercian nuns. It did not last long, and around 1260 Philipp von Wildenburg and Irmgard von Braunshorn refounded it; in 1272 the church was consecrated. In the Thirty Years' War the monastery burned, and by 1661 it had been rebuilt. In 1794 the nuns fled from the French revolutionary troops, the monastery was auctioned and remained a ruin for around a hundred years. In 1903 the Hünfeld Oblates bought the site and rebuilt; today's neo-Gothic church dates from 1904 and 1905. Since 1974 Engelport has been a house for retreats and conferences, and since 2014 the Sisters of Adoration of the Royal Heart of Jesus have lived here.

Around the monastery: what to see

• The monastery church: A neo-Gothic basilica of 1904 and 1905, open during the day. It stands on the site of the old church of 1272, whose outer walls survive. According to the municipality it is open from 7.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The miraculous image: The 88-centimetre Virgin and Child from the early 15th century is the reason Engelport is a place of pilgrimage to Mary and St. Anne.
• The Lourdes grotto: Built as a replica in 1915, a quiet place for your break.

Honestly

• Whether there is a pilgrim bed is unclear. Camino Ninja lists the monastery guesthouse, but according to one pilgrim's account the hotel business ended when the sisters came. Call ahead.
• Food only by plan. We found no evidence of a restaurant permanently open in 2026. Bring food from Treis.
• After this it gets lonely. Between Beilstein and Bullay there is hardly anywhere to stop on the heights.

Ninja tips

• Join a Mass. On weekdays there is Mass at 8.15 a.m. and 5.15 p.m., with adoration in between (as of August 2026). In the evening that suits you if you sleep here.
• Split the long stage here. From Treis to Bullay it is 26.1 kilometres; with a night at the monastery it becomes 7.1 and 19.0 kilometres.
• Contact: Kloster Engelport, Flaumbachtal 4, 56253 Treis-Karden, phone +49 2672 915750.

Onward: to Beilstein

From the monastery the path climbs through the forest to 349 metres and down to Beilstein: 6.4 kilometres with 206 metres of ascent and 245 metres of descent. It is 19.0 kilometres to Bullay.

Deep dive: The gate of the angels

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Maria Engelport. About three minutes' reading.

A monastery in the valley

Whoever founded a monastery here was not looking for traffic. The Flaumbach valley lies away from the Mosel, between the heights of the Hunsrück. Around the year 1220 a knight from Monreal founded a convent here for Cistercian nuns. The family did not look after it for long, and around 1260 Philipp von Wildenburg and Irmgard von Braunshorn founded the monastery anew. In the year 1272 the church was consecrated. Its walls still stand today.

Fire, flight and ruin

The Thirty Years' War hit the monastery hard, and it burned. By 1661 it had been rebuilt. Then came the French revolutionary troops; in 1794 the nuns fled, and the monastery was auctioned off. For around a hundred years Engelport was a ruin in the forest.

Return

In 1903 the Hünfeld Oblates bought the site. They built a new church in the Gothic style and trained missionaries here. Later Engelport became a house for retreats and conferences. Since 2014 the Sisters of Adoration of the Royal Heart of Jesus have lived here, and every day there is prayer and Mass again. Their newsletter carries the Latin name of the place: Porta Angelica, the gate of the angels.

What Engelport gives you

This monastery has been founded four times, and each time someone came back. You are walking a pilgrim way that also had to be rediscovered. Perhaps that is the thought for your break here: that something disappears does not mean it is over.