Anna Nitschmann

Who was Anna Nitschmann?

Anna Caritas Nitschmann was a Moravian Brethren missionary, lyrical poetess, and the second wife of Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf. She served as the Chief Eldress of the Renewed Moravian Church for most of her life, beginning at the young age of 14. Her duties as Chief Eldress were to serve as a spiritual mentor and counselor to the female members of the congregations. Most of her life was spent in close connection with the Zinzendorf household, although a couple of years were spent doing itinerant mission work among the women of southeastern Pennsylvania. She then returned to Europe to resume her work among the various Moravian congregations. After the death of Zinzendorf's first wife, she was married to the Count, but both of them died only a couple of years later. She is buried at Herrnhut, Germany.