A historic monastery complex in the small village of Mussenhausen in Bavaria's Unterallgäu region has been successfully converted into a contemporary two-family residence, demonstrating how architectural heritage can be preserved while adapting to modern living needs. The remarkable renovation project was completed by a consortium of architects known as Arge Groß, Kreft und Schropp, who transformed the centuries-old religious buildings into functional residential spaces.
Mussenhausen, with only 190 residents, is home to a magnificent pilgrimage church built in the Bavarian Rococo style, featuring a 41-meter-tall bell tower. The church was constructed following a reported Marian apparition in 1679 and has attracted countless pilgrims to the village over the centuries. Today, Mussenhausen remains a stop along one of the many European pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela. Beginning in the 17th century, a small monastery complex developed around the church to serve the religious community.
The monastery stood empty after the last Capuchin monks departed around 1990, and the property was put up for sale in 2018. Architect Armin Schropp, who hails from the local area, learned of the opportunity and shared the information with his partner, landscape architect Franziska Kreft, and their mutual friends Veronika and Christian Groß, who are also architects. Together, the four professionals purchased the three buildings surrounding the church for 85,000 euros, including the chaplain's house, the so-called "Klösterl" (small monastery), and a former barn and pig stable adjacent to the small monastery garden. The church itself remains on separate property and continues to be owned by the parish community, with regular religious services still held there.
The renovation team faced numerous challenges that would have deterred many potential buyers. These included the buildings' historic monument status, moisture damage, cracks in the masonry, outdated building systems, over 75 damaged windows, and the sheer scale of the project. However, the architects approached these obstacles with determination and pride. The comprehensive renovation took six years to complete, during which the team invested over 9,500 hours of their own labor on the construction site. The finished project encompasses approximately 740 square meters of living and usable space, with total costs reaching 1.75 million euros.
The former chaplain's house, located next to the church, was converted into office spaces for the architectural practices. The main monastery building was transformed into two residential units, carefully integrated into the unique structural characteristics of the existing building. Both apartments extend along the entire length of the narrow structure, with ground floor living areas providing direct access to the monastery garden. The kitchen areas, measuring nine and thirteen meters in length respectively, were fitted into the former corridor spaces with garden views. The main living areas occupy the spaces that once served as the monks' dining and community halls, offering views toward the street.
In the upper floors, the former monastic cells were consolidated to create bedrooms and bathrooms. The interior design features a thoughtful combination of concrete floors and exposed concrete elements alternating with wooden built-ins, rammed earth, and lime plaster finishes. According to the architects, these materials were chosen to reflect the simplicity and authenticity of the original structure. The two apartments are ingeniously interconnected through opposing staircases located in the center of the building, creating an interlocking arrangement where one apartment's upper floor sits above the other's ground level.
The connection to the church remains tangible for residents, as part of the church organ was historically housed in the chaplain's building due to its size. This organ section now forms part of the Groß family's apartment in a separate room, allowing them to hear and feel the music whenever it is played during religious services. This unique feature maintains the spiritual connection between the residential spaces and the active place of worship.
Recognizing that pilgrims continue to visit Mussenhausen, the former barn was converted into simple hostel accommodations. Similar to the residential apartments, the hostel features a large communal room on the ground floor with sleeping quarters for up to six guests above. The barn conversion exemplifies the overall project philosophy, as described by the design team: preserving historical heritage while enabling new uses through the simplest means and highest design quality.
The innovative restoration project has already received recognition within the architectural community, earning the prestigious Thomas Wechs Prize for outstanding buildings in Swabia this year. The award acknowledges the successful balance achieved between historical preservation and contemporary functionality, demonstrating how sensitive adaptive reuse can breathe new life into abandoned religious architecture while respecting its cultural significance and maintaining its connection to the local community.
