Alapold

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Alapold († June 1, 1013 ) was the first abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Münsterschwarzach from 1001 or 1006 to 1013 after the time of the commendate abbot .

Münsterschwarzach before Alapold

The monastery in Münsterschwarzach was a women's monastery until the second half of the 9th century , which mainly served the Franconian aristocratic family of the Mattons as a supply institute for their second-born daughters. Until around 877, however, the bishops of Würzburg secured power over the women's abbey on the Schwarzach. That year the monks of the Megingaudshausen monastery in the Steigerwald moved into the empty monastery buildings.

During the 10th century tensions between the bishops in Würzburg and the widely ramified Mattonen family increased again. During this time there were hardly any monks left in the monastery buildings, and there are no abbots. If some of them were in charge of the monastery at this time, they were far away as commendatars . It was not until 993, 995 and 1003 that the Emperor Bishop Bernward confirmed ownership of the monastery. Now the abbots were appointed from the diocese of Würzburg.

Life

Nothing is known about Abbot Alapold's birth and youth. He came to Münsterschwarzach from the St. Emmeram monastery in Regensburg, where he was a student of the famous reform abbot Ramwold , a representative of the imperial monasticism. This information allows conclusions to be drawn about Alapold's time in Regensburg: Ramwold died in the year 1000, which means that Alapold must have been a monk in Regensburg for some time before this year.

He came to Münsterschwarzach when he was appointed first abbot by Bishop Heinrich in 1001 or 1006 . Heinrich was a supporter of the Gorz reform movement , which sought a renewal of monastic life. At the same time he tried to expand his power by reactivating the former episcopal monasteries. Alapold came from Regensburg with 13 monks and immediately began to renew monastic life on the Schwarzach.

This also included the brotherhood of prayer and the dead with his former abbey. By this means the monasteries tried to organize themselves among themselves and thus to build a counterweight to their secular or spiritual masters. A stroke of luck for the new abbot, however, were the gifts from King Henry II , who, at the instigation of his wife Kunigunde , gave the monastery several manors.

Bishop Heinrich also invested in “his” monastery. He had new residential buildings built for the convent and removed the ruins of the previous buildings. He also managed to regain the previous privileges that the community had in the area. The aim of this support, however, was also the subordination of the monastery to its new masters. Abbot Alapold died on June 1, 1013.

literature

  • Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.
  • Leo Trunk: The Abbots of Münsterschwarzach. A comparative overview . In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey Church 1938-1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1988.
  • Gabriel Vogt: On the early history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey . Volkach 1980.
  • Heinrich Wagner: The abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey Church 1938-1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1988.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinrich Wagner names this year in his chronology (p. 98), but mentions that it is probably a fake date. Other sources and representations, on the other hand, name 1012 and 1014 as the year of death of the abbot. Compare: Trunk, Leo: The Abbots of Münsterschwarzach . P. 154.
  2. ↑ While all other abbot chronologies only state 1001 as the year of choice, Heinrich Wagner (p. 96) gives both dates.
  3. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . P. 12.
  4. ^ Wagner, Heinrich: The abbots of Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages . P. 97.
  5. ^ Vogt, Gabriel: On the early history of the Münsterschwarzach Abbey . P. 16.
predecessor Office successor
( Dracholf ) Abbot of Münsterschwarzach
1001 / 1006-1013 		Heribert
personal data
SURNAME Alapold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Benedictine abbot
DATE OF BIRTH 10th century
DATE OF DEATH June 1, 1013