Fraterhaus Herford
The Fraterhaus Herford was a branch of the Brothers from Common Life ( Fraterherren ) in Herford, East Westphalia . It existed from 1428 to 1801, from 1525 as a Lutheran institution.
history
founding
After apparently years of preparation, especially by Gottfried Borninck , the brothers were able to acquire a property in 1426 on the northern edge of Herford's Neustadt ( Auf dem Hollande ) directly on the (then) bank of the Werre . In 1428 the formal founding took place, in 1431 the papal confirmation.
activity
The Lord Brotherhood followed the piety ideal of the Devotio moderna , which provided for humility, personal relationship with Christ and pastoral care, but also practical work. Like the other frater houses, they lived mainly from copying and binding precious spiritual and theological books. They did not see themselves as monks and knew no vows . Since 1430 they have been looking after the Studentenhof, which was founded by a Hermann Dwerg foundation in the vicinity of their house . In 1453 they also founded the sister house on the Hollande .
reformation
From around 1512 Jacob Montanus (approx. 1460–1534) belonged to the convent of the Herford brother lords and taught at the student court. He was one of the brothers who were influenced by Renaissance humanism . Probably through the mediation of Philipp Melanchthon , he came into contact with Martin Luther around 1522 ; A friendly correspondence ensued between the reformer and the leaders of the Fraterhaus. In 1525 both the brotherhoods and the women of the sister house saw themselves as Lutheran. In the same year, the Rector and the Vice Rector of the Fraterhaus, Gerhard Wiskamp and Heinrich Telgte , were imprisoned by Bishop Erich von Paderborn and Osnabrück for Lutheran heresy and only against payment of 300 guilders by the brothers and against the declaration, with a fine of 1000 guilders not wanting to fall back into heresy, released.
In the meantime, all of Herford's monasteries and parish churches had gone over to the Reformation (see also Introduction of the Reformation in Herford ). In 1532 the city council decided to abolish the convents and to parish their members in civil dress in the civil parishes. However, the brotherhoods and the wives of the sister house refused, and they turned to Luther. Although they were decidedly Lutheran, they wanted to continue their previous monastery-like community life, which had previously been without vows and without the claim to higher monastic perfection, and to retain their legal status and habit . The process is unique in the history of the Reformation. Luther immediately responded with unreserved support, praising the gospel spirit of the two houses and asking the city council to comply with the request. The houses were then exempted from secularization .
However, the conflict was not resolved and was further fueled by Johannes Dreyer , the Lutheran pastor of the city church. The brothers wrote again to Luther and at the same time found an ally in Anna of Limburg , abbess of Herford Abbey , who sought an official negotiation of the matter and in turn wrote to Luther. This endeavored to mediate and certified the publicly recognized communities - in contrast to private groups - the right to remain exempt from parish compulsory . At the same time, he recommended Rector Wiskamp to voluntarily renounce the exemption , but granted the brothers full freedom of choice over all questions of property and clothing. He presented the matter to the city council as a transitional phenomenon, which in turn irritated the brothers.
Up until 1542, further conflicts followed between the city council and the pastors on the one hand and the brothers on the other, in which Luther supported the brothers. Eventually, they gained definitive and permanent recognition.
Abolition of the establishment and continued use of the building
At the beginning of the 19th century, the royal Westphalian government abolished the Fraterhaus as a legal entity. A country poor house and a breeding and work house were set up on the property .
literature
- William M. Landeen: Martin Luther and the Devotio Moderna in Herford . In: Kenneth A. Strand (ed.): The Dawn of Modern Civilization: Studies in Renaissance, Reformation and Other Topics Presented to Honor Albert Hyma . Ann Arbor, Mich., 2/1964, pp. 145–164 ( abridged online edition )
- Robert Stupperich : Luther and the Herford Fraterhaus . In: Spirit and History of the Reformation. Festgabe Hanns Rück (Works on Church History 38). Berlin 1966, pp. 218-238.
- Robert Stupperich: The Herford Fraterhaus and the Devotio moderna . Munster 1975
- Wolfgang Leesch : Herford - brother brothers . In: Westfälisches Klosterbuch , Vol. 1, Münster 1992, pp. 430–435
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to Ernst Barnikol (Ernst Barnikol: Gottfried. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 669 ( digitized ).) Gottfried was already a Worked in Herford a decade before 1526; then he went to the Hildesheimer Fraterhaus , the establishment of which was also initiated by him. Compare Jochen Bepler : The Hildesheimer Fraterherren . In: The Diocese of Hildesheim in the past and present , 64th year, Hildesheim 1996, p. 107.
- ↑ After the river was diverted , the old arm was called Bowerre .
- ↑ a b c d Landeen, online version, p. 83
- ↑ Michael Baldzuhn: The school books of Jacobus Montanus. Living, teaching and learning at the Herford student courtyard in the 16th century ( memento of the original from March 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 1.5 MB)
- ↑ Landeen, online version, p. 84. - When the Fraterhaus remained evidently Lutheran, Bishop Erich tried to sue for 1000 guilders; however, he died in 1534 (ibid.).
- ↑ Landeen, online version, p. 88
- ↑ Landeen, online version, p. 92
- ↑ a b Landeen, online version, p. 93
