Abbey Church, Michaelsberg Abbey

The Abbey Church on the Michaelsberg hill above Siegburg is the centerpiece of a Benedictine monastery founded in 1064 by Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne. Anno was buried here after his death in 1075 and later canonized; his relics drew medieval pilgrims from across the Rhineland, making the church a significant regional pilgrimage site. Napoleonic secularization dissolved the monastery in 1803 and converted it into a military hospital, but Benedictine monks returned in 1914 and continue to occupy the site today. The Romanesque structure with its double-towered facade represents one of the more substantial ecclesiastical monuments in the lower Rhine region. Visitors who climb to the hilltop are rewarded with views over Siegburg and an atmosphere of monastic quiet rare so close to a city center.