Canon monastery on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem

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The Canons' Monastery on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem was probably a community (chapter) established shortly after 1099 of initially secular clerics, from around 1130 canons living according to the Augustinian Rule at the Church of the Assumption on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem at the time of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem . The Canon Monastery on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem was one of four Latin monasteries (the other three: the Canon Monastery at the Holy Sepulcher , the Canon Monastery at the Templum Domini and the Canon Monastery on Mount Sion ) that the Crusaders established in and around Jerusalem after the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 . The canon monastery on the Mount of Olives was initially headed by a prior, and from 1172 an abbot. After Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 , the chapter fled to Acre . In 1265, an abbot of the Mount of Olives, although not named, is attested for the last time in a document.

location

Plan of Jerusalem before 1187

Men and women lived in a monastery near the great Church of the Assumption on the Mount of Olives east of the old city of Jerusalem ... An abbot and canon according to the rule of St. Augustine served the Lord in the church. Today the area is built on, so the exact location of the monastery buildings is not known. However, they were certainly right next to the Church of the Assumption.

history

The highest point of the three-lobed Mount of Olives east of the old city of Jerusalem was identified early on as the place where Jesus ascended to heaven. As early as 392 there was a church here, which was mainly due to the foundation of a Roman noblewoman Poemenia / Melania d. Ä., Was created. Little is known about this church. It can be assumed, however, that the floor was unpaved in order to show the footprints of Jesus before he ascended to heaven, as in the later churches. Melania the Younger had a chapel built near this church in 438, dedicated to St. Stephen and the 40 martyrs . The monastic settlements on the Mount of Olives were destroyed by the invasion of the Persian king Chosrau II in 614 and the nuns and monks were killed. Until the conquest of the Holy Land by the Arabs in 638, the church was restored. The church seems to have remained largely undamaged. It is described around 700 as a round church with a larger opening in the middle of the dome. This church was still intact at the time of the Crusaders. On July 8, 1099, during the siege of Jerusalem, Arnulf von Choques preached a sermon in the Church of the Assumption. During the crusader era, an octagonal central building with an east apse was built on the round platform of the Byzantine church. Inside there was a small octagonal central building above the place with the footprints of Christ. This central building, which was probably rebuilt several times, is still preserved today, while only remains of the wall of the larger central building remain.

Foundation of the Canons' Monastery on the Mount of Olives

The first reference to a canon monastery at the Church of the Assumption on the Mount of Olives after the establishment of the Latin Kingdom comes from 1112. A Fulcherus montis Oliveti prior is mentioned in a document from King Baldwin I as a witness. Whether he is identical with the chaplain of King Baldwin I Fulcher of Chartres has not been established. Since the canons of the Mount of Olives were initially secular clergymen, a dual activity as canon at the monastery on the Mount of Olives and as chaplain to the king would not be ruled out in principle. In any case, around 1115 Fulcher of Chartres became canon at the monastery of the Holy Sepulcher. This pen, also initially used by secular clerics, was reformed in 1114. The canons were obliged to live a common monastic life according to the rule of St. Augustine ; the monastery buildings were in the immediate vicinity, a little east of the Holy Sepulcher. Fulcher of Chartres therefore resigned from the office of chaplain to the king.

Pilgrimage reports from the time immediately after the conquest of Jerusalem only mention the church, not a monastery or convent. So it is not entirely certain when exactly the Canons' Monastery was established on the Mount of Olives. The pin certainly existed in 1112 with the naming of Prior Fulcher. Around 1130 the Canons of the Mount of Olives also adopted the Augustinian rule. (Monastery) buildings were probably only erected after the canons were regulated. Where exactly they were is not known due to the later development of the Mount of Olives.

The Canon Monastery on the Mount of Olives was involved in the religious celebrations of the city of Jerusalem during the time of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday the prior of the Mount of Olives monastery accompanied the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the prior of the monastery on Mount Sion and the abbot of the monastery of S. Maria in the Josephat Valley on the palm procession from Jerusalem to Bethany. On Ascension Day, after a meeting of the Chapter in the Holy Sepulcher Church, the Patriarch of Jerusalem led a procession to the Paternoster Church on the Mount of Olives, which eventually led to the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. The procession then went first around the church and only then into the church. The patriarch or, if he was not present, a bishop or the prior of the Holy Sepulcher then preached a sermon and then a mass.

In 1152 the monastery was attacked by looting Muslims who briefly occupied the Mount of Olives. Apparently the church was then fortified, as later pilgrimage reports suggest. The four canon monasteries in and around Jerusalem maintained a close connection with one another. The canons took part in the funeral ceremonies of members of the other monasteries. But there were also conflicts with the other monasteries and monasteries.

First, in 1141/43 Heinrich, prior of the Mount of Olives, and Abbot Guido from the monastery of S. Maria in the Josaphat valley were able to come to an agreement after a dispute over a piece of land near the Church of the Assumption. More serious, however, was an incident on Ascension Day 1156 with the Canons of the Holy Sepulcher.

The then Patriarch of Jerusalem Fulcher (of Chartres) was on a trip to Rome, and the annual procession to the Mount of Olives was "only" led by the prior of the Holy Sepulcher instead of the Patriarch. When they arrived at the Church of the Assumption on the Mount of Olives, the prior of the Aimericus Monastery and his canons refused entry to the church because the patriarch was not present and the prior had no right to preach in the church. After Fulcher's return, he called a meeting of clerics and lay people to discuss the incident. They agreed with the Holy Sepulcher, the prior was allowed to preach in the Church of the Assumption in the absence of the Patriarch. The six canons of the Mount of Olives Monastery named Guido, Bonicius, Johannes Berruier, Durandus, Odo and Zacharias, together with their prior Aimericus, had to make a barefoot pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher to repent. The canons of the Holy Sepulcher even had the Pope confirm this decision that the prior could also preach in the Church of the Assumption in the absence of the Patriarch.

According to the report of the German pilgrim Theodericus, the monastery was headed in 1172 by an abbot who was not named. Until 1169 the monastery was only run by a prior. For what reason and when exactly the prior of the Ölbergstift received the abbot is not known. The abbot of the Mount of Olives then had the status of suffragan bishop of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and had the right to wear a miter, ring and pectoral cross.

1179 transferred Pope Alexander III. the possessions of the Mount of Olives monastery in Sicily, Calabria and Apulia to the monastery of Mount Sion.

After Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, the canons had to leave their monastery on the Mount of Olives. The monastery on the Mount of Olives is listed as abbatia et castellum in an account of the cities and fortresses conquered by Saladin . One can conclude from this that the monastery was probably surrounded by a strong wall.

In 1191 the abbot and the chapter had settled in Acre. However, there is no evidence that there was actually a chapter after 1187. In 1211/12 the Church of the Assumption on the Mount of Olives was converted into a mosque. If the chapter had not been dissolved, the canons could possibly return to Jerusalem for a short time in 1228/29 when Emperor Frederick II was able to take possession of Jerusalem again by treaty. According to a document from 1230 to 1233 or 1237-1239, which cannot be dated with certainty, the Patriarch Geraldus of Jerusalem appointed the unnamed abbot of the Mount of Olives and the likewise unnamed dean of Jaffa as his envoy. However, it is rather unlikely that the Canons of the Mount of Olives were able to settle in their monastery again, as this was outside the area that had been ceded to the Christians. In addition, the previous possessions had meanwhile been assigned to someone else and lost to the abbey. The mosque was apparently converted back into a church, which is mentioned in various pilgrimage reports from the 13th century.

In 1265, the not named (titular) abbot of the former monastery on the Mount of Olives was mentioned in a document for the last time. After that, the title doesn't seem to have been awarded either.

Possessions

The archives of documents of the Canons' Monastery on the Mount of Olives that were certainly once existing are lost. Also, no copy book of these documents has been preserved, as z. B. is known from the Canon Monastery of the Holy Sepulcher. There are also no confirmations of ownership by the popes. Therefore, the possessions can hardly be reconstructed. In no case were they as numerous as in the three other monasteries in and around Jerusalem at the time of the Crusaders.

In 1148 the prior and canons of the Mount of Olives received the Casale Caffra (Kafar Anan or Kefrah) from Guillelmus, Lord of Tiberias, as a gift.

Priors / Abbots

The monastery of the Canons on the Mount of Olives was initially headed by a prior, from 1172 the head of the monastery held the title of abbot.

  • 1112 Fulcherius, prior
  • 1120 Laurentius, prior
  • 1130 to 1145 Henricus, 1130, 1135 1136 1137 1142/45 1144
  • 1155 to 1168 Aimericus / Haimericus 1155 1156 1160
  • 1169 Bernardus, prior
  • 1172 NN., Dept.
  • 1190 (†) NN., Died during the siege of Acre
  • 1198 NN. Dept
  • 1204 Gervasius, dept
  • 1206 NN dept
  • 1220/21 D., abbot (certificate is issued in Akkon) 1221
  • 1226 NN, Dept.
  • 1230/33 or 1237/39 NN, Dept.
  • 1244 B., abbas Montis Oliveti (document is issued in Acre)
  • 1259, 1260 NN Dept.
  • 1265 NN dept

Monasteries and orders of similar names

As early as the 9th century, a Benedictine monastery was built near Carcassonne, which was named Mons Olivi . This is where today's Montolieu emerged . The Oelenberg monastery near Reiningen in Sundgau was also established in the 11th century, independently of the chapter of the Canons of the Mount of Olives. It was originally also a monastery of regulated Augustinian canons, today a Trappist monastery .

The Olivetans are a new founding in the 13th century. The Congregation is a branch order of the great Benedictine Confederation .

literature

  • Geneviève Bresc-Bautier: Le cartulaire du chapitre du Saint-Sépulcre de Jérusalem. 431 S., Geuthner, Paris, 1984 (series Documents relatifs à l'histoire des croisades, No. 15) (hereinafter abbreviated to Bresc-Bautier, Cartulaire with corresponding page number and document number)
  • Hans Eberhard Mayer: Dioceses, monasteries and monasteries in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Anton Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1977 (Writings of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Volume 26) (hereinafter abbreviated to Mayer, dioceses, monasteries and monasteries with the corresponding page number)
  • Denys Pringle: The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Vol. IV. The Cities of Acre and Tire with Addenda and Corrigenda to Volumes I-III. Cambridge University Press, 2009 ISBN 978-0-521-85148-0 (hereinafter abbreviated to Pringle, Churches with corresponding page number)
  • Reinhold Röhricht: Regesta regni Hierosolymitani (1097–1291). Wagner, Innsbruck, 1893 (in the following abbreviated Röhricht, RRH with corresponding page number and certificate number)
  • Reinhold Röhricht: History of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1100–1291). Verlag der Wagnerschen Universitäts-Buchhandlung, Innsbruck, 1898, p. 146, footnote
  • Reinhold Röhricht: Regesta regni Hierosolymitani (1097–1291). Addendum. Wagner, Innsbruck, 1904 (in the following abbreviated Röhricht, RRH, Add. With the corresponding page number and certificate number)
  • Titus Tobler: The Siloah spring and the Oelberg. Verlag von Schettlin and Zollikofer, St. Gallen 1852 (hereinafter abbreviated to Tobler, Siloahquelle and Oelberg with the corresponding page number)

Individual evidence

  1. a b Tobler, Siloahquelle and Oelberg, p. 97 Online at Google Books
  2. Pringle. Churches, p. 72.
  3. a b Röhricht, Regesta, p. 54, document no. 213.
  4. a b c Pringle. Churches, p. 74.
  5. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 115, document no. 444.
  6. Bresc-Bautier, p. 143/44, document no. 54.
  7. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 153/54, document no. 576.
  8. ^ William Stubbs: The chronicle of the reigns of Henry II. And Richard IAD1169-1192; known commonly under the name of Benedict of Peterborough. Vol. II. Longmans, Green, Reder, and Dyer, London 1867 Online at Google Books , p. 24.
  9. a b Pringle. Churches, p. 75.
  10. a b Bresc-Bautier, p. 341/42, document no. 184.
  11. Röhricht, Regesta, Add., Pp. 16/17, document no. 252a.
  12. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 15, document no. 68.
  13. Bresc-Bautier, p. 88/89, document no. 27.
  14. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 21, document no. 91.
  15. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 33, document no. 133.
  16. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 40, document no. 160.
  17. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 41, document no. 165.
  18. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 43, document no. 173.
  19. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 57, document no. 226.
  20. Tobler, Siloahquelle and Oelberg, p. 312 Online at Google Books
  21. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 80, document no. 310
  22. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 83, document no. 323.
  23. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 92, document no. 354
  24. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 93, document no. 356.
  25. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, Add., Pp. 25/26, document no. 422a.
  26. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 124/25, document no. 469
  27. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 198, document no. 745.
  28. Pringle. Churches, p. 61.
  29. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 219, document no. 817.
  30. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 249, document no. 937.
  31. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 251, document no. 945.
  32. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 262, document no. 996.
  33. Röhricht, Regesta, p. 300, document no. 1127.
  34. ^ Röhricht, Regesta, p. 333, document no. 1271.
  35. ^ H.-François Delaborde: Chartes de Terre Sante provenant de l'Abbaye de N.-D. de Josaphat. Ernest Thorin, Paris, 1880, document no. LII, p. 108
  36. Mayer, Dioceses, Monasteries and Pens, p. 113.

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 44.7 "  N , 35 ° 14 ′ 41.6"  E