The Hiddensee island church in Kloster is the last visible building from the time of the Cistercian monastery and thus the oldest building on the island of Hiddensee.
The island church was consecrated in 1332 as a fishermen's and peasants' church outside the Cistercian monastery in today's Kloster district. In the 18th century it was completely rebuilt and in 1922 received the wooden barrel vault painted with roses by Nikolaus Niemeier. Today, this impressive design is known as Hiddenseer Rosenhimmel.
The tomb slab of Abbot Johannes Runnenberg († 1475) is considered the oldest testimony from the monastery period. It is located in the northeast corner of the church, to the left of the altar. Right next to it is a memorial picture for the merchant Samuel Vöhsan, who was lost at sea in 1611. Around 1700, the entrance to the church was moved from the west to the south side and a small porch was built, which has also served as the bell tower ever since. In 1781/82, the church was rebuilt. The windows were enlarged and the original flat ceiling was replaced by a wooden barrel vault. The impressive painting was executed by the Berlin painter Nikolaus Niemeier in 1922. The blue sky over Hiddensee and the lush blooming hedge roses were probably his inspiration in the work. With a free hand, without a stencil, he scattered the church ceiling with large and small roses. Today, the ceiling of the island church is known as the "Hiddensee Rose Sky". The gallery and the pulpit altar date from the 18th century. After the Reformation, the connection between the altar and the pulpit symbolized the equivalence of the sermon and the Lord's Supper. Behind the lateral superstructure of the altar was found an inscription, which can now be read on a beam at the entrance:
"Der here do Ick em ersochte erhorde hei mi" (The Lord, since I asked him, he heard me).
The baptismal font and the baptismal angel came to the church around 1750. Originally, the angel could be lowered for baptism. The scallop shell as a baptismal bowl in his right hand, a palm branch in his left hand, however, he is now firmly attached to the ceiling. The wooden baptismal stand is still used today. According to the old tradition, all the baptized are baptized with fresh water from the Baltic Sea.
In addition to regular church services and peace prayers, numerous spiritual evening concerts and concerts are held in the summer.
The island church is closed to visitors until Easter 2020 for construction and restoration work.
