Benedictine convent Kitzingen
The Benedictine monastery in Kitzingen is a former monastery of the Benedictine women in Kitzingen in Bavaria in the diocese of Würzburg . The abbey was probably renewed as early as the 8th century as part of the reorganization of the East Franconian part of the empire by the missionary Bonifatius . The early days of the Convention are largely in the dark. After the dissolution in the course of the Reformation , a women's monastery was founded in 1568 on the site of the old monastery. In 1660 the building was given the convent of an Ursuline monastery , which was closed in 1804.
history
Founding legend and foundation (up to around 800)
The founding of the monastery is often associated with the princess Hadeloga in the sources . The founding legend is: Princess Hadeloga, also Adelheid, was a daughter of the house keeper Karl Martell and his wife Kunechild. She turned down all the marriage applicants because she wanted to become a nun. The father, Karl Martell, suspected, however, that his daughter had a love affair with his court chaplain and expelled both of them from his court.
Both moved around and founded a monastery in a forest clearing . The court chaplain donated all of his goods to the young convent and ensured that several nuns moved in , so that Hadeloga became the first abbess. The monastery was named after the shepherd Kuccingus, to whom Mary appeared to free a stolen lamb from the clutches of a wolf. Karl Martell, meanwhile, regretted his harsh actions against his daughter and generously endowed her foundation.
Although the saga has many inconsistencies, it probably has some real core. On the one hand, it was dated to the time of Karl Martell or King Pippin . At this time, in the middle of the 8th century, St. Boniface reformed the monastery structures in the Franconian Empire and founded the diocese of Würzburg. The founding of the Kitzingen monastery was probably also supervised and renewed by him. Maybe he put his assistant Thekla as abbess next to the laywoman Hadeloga.
Since Boniface already reformed the monastery, a somewhat older foundation can be assumed. At Kitzingen it was probably more of a “ Vita communis ”, a loose association, than a real monastery. If Hadeloga actually existed, it could have come from the Matton family . This clan founded a number of monasteries between Main and Steigerwald for the second-born daughters and sons of their family.
The monastery was probably transformed into a “real” Benedictine monastery by Bonifatius and Thekla . However, the establishment remained in the hands of its noble founders, probably the Mattons. The transition to a royal monastery , which was only subordinate to the ruler, took place without knowledge of the sources. Kitzingen probably passed into royal possession at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century.
From king to bishop (until 1007)
The Kitzingen Monastery and Ochsenfurt Abbey appear in the sources for the first time in 748. At this point in time the abbot Sturmius von Fulda , who was later canonized, stayed in the convent buildings. In Kitzingen the sick missionary was nursed back to health by the nuns for four weeks. After this first mention, the monastery disappeared from tradition for over 250 years. The legends about the monastery record several legendary abbesses during this period.
Around the year 820, the abbess Schwanhild to the relics of the monastery founder Hadeloga collected have. At this point in time, Kitzingen appeared as a monastery directly under the Empire, with powerful bailiffs. In addition to Kitzingen and some surrounding villages, the convent's possessions also included places to the north, such as Astheim , Köhler , to the east, such as Iphofen , and west of the foundation, such as Ochsenfurt and Gerbrunn .
At this point in time, the abbesses only swore an oath to the Holy See , so they were imperial rulers. In the 10th century, during the Hungarian invasions , there is said to have been a decline in monastic discipline. Abbess Gerburg wanted to change the nuns' white habit to more fashionable black ones and to improve the food of the convent, so she sent 960 requests to the emperor and the pope.
It was not until 1007 that the monastery reappeared in the springs. Heinrich II furnished his newly founded diocese Bamberg with the abbey and gave Kitzingen to the bishop on November 1, 1007. The influence of the bishops of Würzburg, whose seat of residence was much closer than distant Bamberg, grew over the centuries. The Würzburg bishops were allowed to confirm the abbesses and also exercised jurisdiction over the area of the abbey.
Establishment and flowering (until 1350)
King Henry III In 1040 the monastery restituted the rights and possessions that had been lost over time. The abbey thereby consolidated its influence in the surrounding area. The village of Kitzingen is mentioned for the first time in the document. Twenty years later, in 1060, the nuns owned all of Kitzingen, as confirmed by a diploma from King Henry IV . By King Konrad III. the nuns even got the right to choose the monastery bailiff themselves. This led to a further concentration of power for the abbey.
In the middle of the 12th century Abbess Sophia sought advice from the polymath Hildegard von Bingen . The Benedictine from the Palatinate visited the Main Abbey and was able to prevent the prelate Sophia from resigning. A short time later, Hedwig von Andechs , who was to become Duchess of Silesia, was accepted as a student in the monastery. She later brought the Kitzingen nun Petrissa as the first abbess to her newly founded monastery in Trebnitz in Lower Silesia.
Almost half a century later, in 1228, the persecuted Landgrave Elisabeth von Thuringia fled to the safe care of the nuns of Kitzingen. At that time Abbess Mechthild ruled the Main, who was probably the Landgravine's aunt . The motives for Elisabeth's trip to Kitzingen are controversial today. The voluntary nature of Elisabeth's visit to the abbey is now partially questioned. The only thing that is certain is that Elisabeth's daughter, Sophie, was brought up in Kitzingen.
In the course of the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lords of Hohenlohe rose and grew in the shadow of the monastery. They held the influential bailiff for a long time and were able to take control of the village over Kitzingen until 1243. As a result, the abbesses lost more and more power. The rest were done within the monastery, like the schism between Adelheid and Kunigunda von Giech. Abbess Anna I. von Haideck even had to go to prison in 1350.
Decline and expropriation (until 1544)
The following prelates tried to support the monastic rule again through various deeds, already before 1304 the convent had been able to acquire an extensive forest area, the monastery forest . It played into their hands that the Lords of Hohenlohe soon lost their possessions due to childlessness in the course of the 14th century. On the one hand, they had to cede their acquisitions to the Bishop of Würzburg , who further expanded his power over the abbey. On the other hand, the burgraves of Nuremberg also acquired parts of the city.
At the turn of the 15th century, Abbess Hedwig von Hofwart had an infirmary built in Kitzingen. The plague had ravaged the settlement next to the monastery and the sick had to be cared for. Soon after her term of office, a schism broke out again, which split the abbey convent. Abbess Margaretha Schenk von Erbach then sold many of the monastery properties from 1439 to finance her lavish lifestyle.
Not only was the abbey in debt, the Würzburg monastery had also amassed a lot of debts. One of the bishop's creditors was the Margrave of Ansbach, Albrecht Achilles . His line arose from the burgraves of Nuremberg. When the bishopric could no longer pay its debts in 1443, it seized its share in the castle, town and office of Kitzingen. The town next to the abbey became Ansbach and a short time later the population adopted the Lutheran faith.
Despite this drastic event, the abbesses tried to continue running the monastery. Thanks to clever sales, Magdalena von Leonrod even managed to bring about a small economic upswing, although disputes with the neighbors occupied the monastery more and more. This modest bloom was then destroyed by the monastery fire of June 7, 1484, after which the entire monastery buildings had to be rebuilt.
Again the abbesses tried to reform the monastery. Margaretha Truchsess von Baldersheim created new books and managed to regain pledged monastery property. All hopes were destroyed when the monastery buildings were again devastated during the German Peasants' War . The Margraves of Ansbach initially erected the abbey buildings on a makeshift basis, and finally expropriated the monastery in 1544. A Protestant women's monastery took possession of the building.
seal
The seal of the convent is handed down on a wooden plaque from the early 16th century. Description : A growing, diminished nun in a black habit; hands are raised in blessing. The tinging of the seal is unclear, only the black habit is clearly visible. The nun is probably the legendary founder of the monastery, Hadeloga.
Abbesses
The following list is based on two monographs on the monastery, both of which have different views on the sequence of the rulers. On the one hand Benvenut Stengeles The former Frauenkloster Kitzingen am Main from 1897, on the other hand the more recent writing by Klaus Arnold 1250 Years Kitzingen from 1996. Abbesses who are only mentioned in Stengele are printed in italics, as are the dates only mentioned in Stengele.
The list of Abbesses of Kitzingen has several gaps that can be traced back to the lack of written records. In particular, the early monastic period up to the 11th century is hardly documented by sources. The confirmed prelates only begin with the abbess Heilica, proven around 1070. Most of the head women were daughters from noble families in the area, especially Franconian knight families are represented as abbesses.
| Abbess name | Reign | Remarks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadeloga | at 745 | Karl Martell's daughter, also Adelheid , uncertain, not proven by sources, only lay abbess, † April 18, 750 | |||||
| Thekla | at 745 | uncertain, possibly Abbiat on the side of Hadeloga, † November 16, 760 | |||||
| Rouadlauga | gen. 765 | unsure, third abbess | |||||
| Angildruth | End of 8th century | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Schwanhild | gen. around 820 | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Gerburg | gen. 960 | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Swanchildis | 10th century | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Bertha I of Merania | gen. 1007-1024 | Reign uncertain, mentions 1007 , 1012, 1024 | |||||
| Sophia | around 1062 | also Sophie I. , reign uncertain | |||||
| Alberad | 1030-1060 | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Dietburg von Biebelried | gen. 1060 | Reign uncertain | |||||
| Heilica | around 1070 | first secured prelate, reign uncertain | |||||
| Bertha II of Ebenhausen / von Hohenlohe | gen. 1090 -1138 | Noble family unclear , mentions 1090 , 13 August 1114, 1126, 1128 , 31 March 1138 | |||||
| Hemma of Entsee | gen. 1139- 1146 | also Emma , reign uncertain, † June 13, 1146 | |||||
| Sophia II of Reuenburg | gen. 1146-1161 | Niece Hemmas, mentions 1146 , Nov. 23, 1151, 1153/1155, 1161 | |||||
| Bertha III. ( IV. ) From Abenberg | 1171 / 1175-1195 | ||||||
| Mechthild I. von Andechs / Meranien and Dieffen | 1196 -1254 | also Mechtildis , mentions 1196 , 1214, † December 1, 1254 | |||||
| Sophia III. | 1254-1270 | also Gertrud | |||||
| Eufemia von Brauneck | gen. 1262- 1296 | also Euphemia, Osima , mentions 1262, 1271, 1281, September 3, 1290, 1296 | |||||
| Barbara von Castell | gen. 1304 | † 1304 | |||||
| Mechthild II. ( III. ) Of Rabensburg | gen. 1297 -1305 | Mentions 1297 , 1304, January 19, 1305 | |||||
| Margaretha I of Grumbach | 1305-1308 | ||||||
| Bertha V. von Brauneck | 1309-1312 | born Richiza von Castell | |||||
| Richza from Hohenlohe-Brauneck | 1312-1318 | exact reign 7 January 1312 to 9 May 1318 | |||||
| Barbara I. von Brauneck | 1318-1327 | ||||||
| Gertrud von Stein | gen. 1327 1337 | Mentioned January 5, 1327, resignation 1337 | |||||
| Gisela von Hohenlohe-Brauneck | gen. 1336-1344 | Mentioned February 27, 1336, † before October 7, 1344 | |||||
| Anna von Heideck | around 1350 | ||||||
| Adelheid von Brauneck / von Haslach | gen. 1355-1357 | Noble family unclear, schism with Kunigunda von Giech , mentions December 30, 1355, January 21, 1357 | |||||
| Kunigunda from Giech | ? | Schism with Adelheid von Brauneck / von Haslach | |||||
| Anna I. von Haideck | gen. 1350 | Deposition | |||||
| Christina von Grumbach | 1363-1385 | exact reign December 11, 1363 to September 22, 1385 | |||||
| Catherine I of Wertheim | 1385-1386 | ||||||
| Hedwig von Hofwart | 1386- 1401 | Mention May 2 / August 1, 1386, December 20, 1396, † September 21, 1401 | |||||
| Sophia von Hardenberg / von Hohenberg | 1401 1416 | Mentions 1401, August 25, 1402 , July 27, 1415, † April 9, 1416 | |||||
| Anna II of Bickenbach / von Budenbach | gen. 1422-1435 | Schism with Anna von Waldenfels , mentions February 22, 1422, December 11, 1429, January 8, 1435 | |||||
| Anna von Waldenfels | ? | Schism with Anna von Bickenbach / von Budenbach, † 1426 | |||||
| Magdalena I of Haslach | 1426-1428 | Existence uncertain | |||||
| Barbara II of Castell | gen. 1437 | † 1437 | |||||
| Margaretha II. Schenk in von Erbach | gen. 1439-1465 | Mentioned September 30, 1439, † 1465 | |||||
| Sabina Schenkin from Erbach | 1465-1466 | Sister of Margaretha II. Schenkin von Erbach, deposition in 1466 | |||||
| Margaretha III. from Hirschberg | gen. 1468-1472 | Mentioned December 29, 1468, † 1472 | |||||
| Magdalena II of Leonrod | 1472-1486 | Exact reign 1472 to † December 24, 1486 / July 25, 1492 | |||||
| Margaretha IV. Truchsess in von Baldersheim | 1486-1520 | Election August 1, 1492 , † September 14, 1520 | |||||
| Elisabeth II of Finsterlohe | 1520-1522 | Election September 28, 1520 , † 1522 | |||||
| Catherine II of Fronhofen | 1522-1529 | Election June 23, 1522 , † May 14, 1529 | |||||
| Amalia forester from Gelnhausen | 1529-1541 | † September 21, 1541 | |||||
| Veronica Hundt of Saulheim / von Gaulstein | 1541-1544 | † November 31, 1544, dissolution of the monastery | |||||
| Conversion into women's pen | |||||||
| Ursula von Rosenau | 1568-1573 | † March 11, 1573 | |||||
| Veronika von der Grün | 1573-1575 | † August 3, 1575 | |||||
| Barbara von Wambach | 1575-1584 | † 1584 | |||||
| Isolda von Truppach | 1584-1605 | † 1605 | |||||
| Margaretha Blandina from Kotzau | 1605-1629 | † 1629 | |||||
literature
- Klaus Arnold: 1250 years of Kitzingen. From the shadow of the monastery to the city on the Main (= writings of the Kitzingen City Archives, vol. 5) . Kitzingen 1996.
- Helmut Petzolt: Kitzingen Abbey. Establishment and legal situation . Kallmünz 1955.
- Helmut Petzolt: Kitzingen Abbey. Sources and research (diss.) . Wuerzburg 1951.
- Benvenut Stengele : The former women's monastery in Kitzingen am Main (Lower Franconia) . Sulzbach 1897.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Establishment and legal situation . P. 70, see: Arnold, Klaus: 1250 years Kitzingen . P. 13. Here the shepherd is called the fawn .
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Establishment and legal situation . Pp. 69-71.
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Sources and research . P. 25.
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Sources and research . P. 27.
- ^ Arnold, Klaus: 1250 years of Kitzingen . P. 12.
- ↑ Stengele, Benvenut: The former women's monastery Kitzingen am Main . P. 96.
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Sources and research . P. 33.
- ^ Arnold, Klaus: 1250 years of Kitzingen . P. 22.
- ↑ Stengele, Benvenut: The former women's monastery Kitzingen am Main . P. 98.
- ↑ Stengele, Benvenut: The former women's monastery Kitzingen am Main . P. 99.
- ↑ Petzolt, Helmut: Kitzingen Abbey. Sources and research . P. 59.
- ^ Arnold, Klaus: 1250 years of Kitzingen . Pp. 55-58.
- ↑ Stengele, Benvenut: The former convent in Kitzingen am Main . P. 100.
Coordinates: 49 ° 44 ′ 23.9 " N , 10 ° 9 ′ 41.7" E