Schleswig Cathedral Monastery
The Schleswig Cathedral Monastery (often also called the Schleswig Cathedral Chapter ) is an institution of clergy and canons who had a leading role in the administration of St. Petri Cathedral in Schleswig and the Diocese of Schleswig until the Reformation was introduced . Another function of this association consisted in the regular holding of church services in the cathedral, as well as in the administrative support of the bishop. One of the most important special rights of the cathedral monastery was the right to elect a bishop .
history
Due to an unfavorable source situation, nothing is known about the establishment of the cathedral monastery. Sources are only available from the 13th century. Already in the oldest available sources on the cathedral monastery, which date from the 13th century, said pen is described as a legal subject in public space. It was economically independent from the bishop and, moreover, an institution that was separate from the bishop, which thus enjoyed a certain degree of independence in some areas.
In 1305 there was a dispute between Bishop Berthold and the provosts , as the latter did not want to be deprived of the right to impose excommunication and the interdict . Ultimately, however, the bishop was unable to assert his interests and instead confirmed these competencies of the provosts, as well as all other tasks and rights that were assigned to them (such as church visits and the management of the spiritual court in the assigned district).
Also in 1318 disputes arose between the Schleswig bishop Johannes II von Bokholt and the cathedral monastery about who should make the decisions about admission to the monastery. It was decided that mutual consent was necessary to integrate people into the cathedral monastery - this decision was included in the statutes of 1352. The influence of the canons on the admission to the cathedral monastery was restricted several times, around 1326 by papal reformations or commissions, i.e. the shopping of people in the position of canons by the pope . The papal commissions were sometimes geared to the interests of others, such as the Danish kings Erik IV and Christian I. Being a member of the cathedral monastery was a thoroughly attractive position, as these offices were likely to have been endowed with not insignificant income and provisions. So it's no wonder that there were usually a large number of applicants for such positions. There is also less evidence that members of the monastery used their influence in favor of relatives in order to fill vacant positions with them (as is attested in 1497 for Boetius Honnens).
Although there were repeated disputes between the bishop and the provost about their responsibilities well into the 16th century, one cannot assume that the power struggles in Schleswig were rampant as occurred in some other dioceses in the 12th and 13th centuries. The reason for this is the fact that the functions of the archdeacon were already established and regulated in Schleswig at that time, so that there was no longer any intervention in the business of the bishop and further conflicts as a result did not occur. Conversely, however, the bishop had to swear by oath that he would stay out of the affairs of the provosts.
Any further conflicts between the bishop and provost were more of a political nature and were connected with the chapter's partisanship for secular rulers, who could in any case be more dangerous to the rights of the provost than the bishop. Overall, in Schleswig, the Pröpste and the bishop acted less competitively and more in mutual agreement.
Between 1533 and 1541, Duke Christian von Schleswig had acquired the right to alternate months with the last Catholic Bishop Gottschalk von Ahlefeldt to fill the vacant cathedral patrons . From 1541 these decisions fell back to the cathedral monastery alone. After the introduction of the Reformation in 1542 it had the right to propose and the sovereign the right to appoint members.
Religious and spiritual life
Inner organization
The communal coexistence was given up in 1198, instead the cathedral monastery was reshaped in such a way that it consisted of various spiritual offices. Overall, the cathedral monastery had a constant 24 canon positions up to 1500, which were reduced to a total of 14 members in 1533. In principle, this number of members was not exceeded.
The cathedral monastery was secularized as early as 1248, from 1319 it is documented that the respective canons owned their own houses, so that obviously there was no coexistence of the members of the cathedral monastery in the sense of the vita canonica according to Augustine .
The chapter meetings ( ad capitulum ire ) took place every Friday morning and were only postponed to the next day if there was a church festival on Friday. Participation was compulsory for all canons and prelates , provided they were in the city and not prevented by illness. Vicars and other preamble dates of the cathedral churches were not admitted to the meeting. All participants in the chapter meeting were sworn to secrecy from the outside world. The provost presided over the meetings. In addition, each of the canons and prelates should elect one of their colleagues to be their procurator , i.e. to represent them in the event of absence.
In the event of a vote, two canons were commissioned to ask the canons who were on site but who were absent due to illness for their opinion so that they could cast their votes. What exactly was discussed and what was voted on in these meetings is just as little known as the type of majority that was required to pass a resolution in a vote. However, if things were discussed that affected not only the cathedral but the whole church, the bishop attended the meeting or vote.
All canons in the Danish Empire had to appear at the general assemblies, which took place outside the normal schedule . Such appointments were only made on particularly important occasions for the cathedral church, for example when a new bishop had to be elected. From these, in turn, a distinction is made again between assemblies which the bishop called to discuss matters of the diocese.
The cathedral pen usually presented itself to the outside world as united and standing together, but in fact there were occasional divisions in the pen. In the event of disagreements with the bishop, there were also members of the monastery who were on the bishop's side in disputes. It is also recorded that the members of the cathedral monastery in 1480 accused the cathedral provost Enwaldus Sövenbroder for not complying with his residence obligation with the archbishop in Lund. This event was not an isolated incident, so that one cannot assume that there was an inner unity in the cathedral chapter at all times.
Duties of the Canon
Residenzpflicht
The main task of the cathedral monastery is to support the bishop in spiritual and administrative tasks of the diocese. To carry out this task, the presence in the monastery (residence) was required. This was also the basis for fulfilling all other duties, such as holding church services and participating in chapter meetings. In the statutes of 1352, however, the case of the absence of a canon was dealt with: In this case, he should appoint a vicar from those present and a procurator in the monastery. The handling of such cases in the Articles of Association indicates that these were not exceptions. There could be various reasons for this: For example, canons inside and outside of Schleswig could occasionally perform certain tasks on behalf of the bishop ( e.g. as chaplain service). There is also numerous evidence that aristocrats took canons into their service, which made it impossible to reside in the cathedral monastery. Often this was done for writing activities, for example, the canon Marqardus Blottow is named as Duke Heinrich's chancellor in 1424.
The statutes of 1352 also stated that it was permissible for a canon to flee from the monastery, provided that he could not reside safely because he had received the disapproval of a prince or prelate through no fault of his own . In addition, it can be assumed that many canons, due to the fact that they hold several offices, could not or only rarely fulfill their residence obligation.
A distinction was made between whether a canon went to the court of the bishop or a prince of his own free will, or whether he was temporarily summoned by them. In the former case, the non-resident canons received their income only from the prebends , in the latter case all income except that of their daily distributions. In principle, the absent canon continued to receive his income, provided that his absence was discussed with the cathedral monastery. If he left the pen without excuse for more than 12 weeks, he was denied the income from the benefices and had to repay them, if he had received any.
Officium Divinum
According to the statutes of 1352, each canon had one week of choral service in a fixed order . In addition, he had to attend church services and supervise the vicars' choir. One of these vicars choir ( ebdomarius ) had to read the mass and also to pray in advance. He received support from two other vicars - one of them read the lessons ( versicularius ), the other sang the responsories . These activities were also changed weekly. In addition, the canons had to assist the bishop at masses on certain days or to hold them themselves. On the 34 days of the year in which the bishop held mass, all canons should be present and not be represented by vicars. On 18 of these days the canons were also supposed to give a sermon themselves. However, every canon had an elected procurator who could represent him - be it because of illness or because he had other duties to perform.
Associated with the choral service was the organization of the anniversaries of the benefactors of the monastery, as well as consolatiums and thanksgiving and praise services in honor of patrons or helpers of the monastery.
In 1469, Bishop Nicolaus von Schleswig gave the bishops of Aarhus , Odense and Lübeck a suggestion for a resolution that the clergymen u. a. through supervision should lead to the officium divinum being properly fulfilled. According to Pontoppidan's statements, there were probably problems regarding the discipline to (dignified) compliance with the officium divinum , whereby the situation in Schleswig's cathedral monastery should have been particularly dubious, as it was one of the initiators for this development.
classes
According to the statutes of 1352, all those clerics who wanted to become priests should visit the cathedral choir for more than two years in order to be instructed there about religious activities in worship as well as about theology. In the diocese there was no other possibility to study the latter, so it was here that the academics in the ranks of the cathedral monastery came in handy. Those who attended these classes were given apartments and some were given a scholarship. However, the clergy had to pay for their own living or were dependent on alms. For the first time in 1307 a chapter or collegiate school is also mentioned , which provided general education and which was not only visited by clergy or by candidates for a spiritual office. The canons initially shared responsibility for this school, later it was transferred to the iunior capituli , when the canons were increasingly represented by vicars in their residence duties. With the establishment of the editor, this responsibility was passed on to the editor in 1461. A canon ( procurator scholarum ) was also responsible for the school's finances. Among other things, scholarships that some of the students received were paid for.
Poor and sick care
The first evidence that the cathedral monastery was responsible for the care of the poor and the sick exist from 1450. In 1454, Canon Laurenz Lunt is also listed in a document as a representative of the poor in the poor house. In addition, income earmarked for the poor was recorded in the registrum capituli .
Constitution and Administration
The spiritual offices customary for cathedral pencils can also be found in the Schleswig cathedral pencil. The cathedral provost held a leading position at the monastery and had to resolve conflicts between canons. The archdeacon was the bishop's assistant and representative, he led the monastery, administered the monastery property by means of contracts and represented the cathedral monastery in legal matters, while the cantor organized and led the service. In 1461, the office of lecturer was introduced, which became more and more important through donations, so that in 1539 the lecturer finally held a representative function as speaker of the monastery. The thesaurarius administered the finances of the monastery, the struktuarius was responsible for the construction and maintenance of the cathedral church. In addition, four other canons took care of the spiritual administration of church districts as provosts .
Admission to the Domstift
In order to be accepted into the cathedral monastery, ordination as a subdeacon was necessary; all other requirements were reserved for the statutes, although the statutes of 1352 lack information that occurs in other cathedral monasteries (age, marital birth, origin, physical characteristics). An academic education was desired, but not necessary for admission to the cathedral monastery. It was, however, a necessary practice to give a choir mantle at the entrance, whereby this material donation was later replaced by monetary donations equal to the cost of a choir mantle. The introduction to the cathedral monastery took place on the Friday after Easter and was connected with the taking of an oath on the relics and the gospel book before the bishop and the cathedral monastery. A trial period of twelve weeks then followed. If this could not be carried out to the end, the candidate had to be introduced to the cathedral monastery again on the Friday after Easter next year. Those who entered the cathedral monastery and were called up after studying abroad received their introduction to the office with immediate effect. In addition, with the approval of the monastery, it was also possible after the probationary period to return to the course with full income from the monastery properties and to finish it. For a total of 18 canons there is information about their academic education, so it stands to reason that at least a good number of the canons were university graduates.
In 1481 the resolution came into force that the Schleswig Cathedral Monastery was a closed cathedral monastery, i.e. it would never contain more than 24 canons. Over time, however, this number was further reduced by the influence of the bishop and secular forces: In 1533 the cathedral monastery consisted of only 14 members, of which 11 were canons. By buying people into the canon 's estate, however, these limitations were often broken. Such an intervention is documented for the first time for the year 1364, later even more frequently.
autonomy
From a legal point of view, the cathedral monastery was autonomous according to the statutes of 1352. This can be seen in the right of the monastery to choose the three prelates itself. Only the canons residing on site were involved in this election - those who were absent were not invited to this election. It was also possible to absolve canons of their residence obligation so that canons released in this way did not have to stay at the cathedral monastery. This was used in particular to enable the clergy to act in the service or at the court of a king, duke or bishop, as well as for study or travel purposes. Accusations against canons were brought to the provost, who was responsible for prosecuting such offenses. In such cases, the bishop was only involved if the provost was unable to enforce the law. Specific penalties were set for failing to fulfill their duties (for example during choir or church services) or for other offenses: starting with smaller fines to withholding the entire income of the canons if they did not contribute their share to the payment of the vicars.
The cathedral monastery of Schleswig had patronage rights over the following churches and monasteries: B. Nicolai Church (Schleswig), B. Virginis (Holm) , St. Michaelis , B. Laurentii, as well as the churches in Nübel , Tolk , Havetoft , Ulsnis , Hürup , Tyrstrup , Barwithsyssel, Haddeby , Kappeln , above the altar of St. Laurentius of the cathedral church. The right of patronage was named in the liber quodlibeticus and referred to as "Lehnwar" or the associated churches as "Lhene" and "Kerk-Lehen". For these patronage churches, the cathedral monastery members selected the candidates for vacant positions, which were then appointed by the bishop. Changes within the worship facilities were also carried out in cooperation between the cathedral monastery and the bishop (e.g. the architecture). As time progressed up to the Reformation, the discipline within the cathedral monastery became increasingly weaker, as some complaints suggest. The internal order of the monastery was shaped more and more by material interests, in some cases the monastery was not even able to hold its own members accountable for violations.
The seal that was used by the cathedral monastery and, according to existing sources, was first mentioned in 1252, is also to be regarded as a symbol of an autonomous body . It shows a person wearing a robe and a bishop's cap and sitting on a bishop's chair. The left hand is placed on the heart, the right is holding a large key. This picture is framed by the words secretum capli ecce sleswicns . Possibly the figure shows Peter with the key to the heavens, to which the cathedral church was consecrated.
In 1542, a new church ordinance stipulated that the king himself should conduct a court of law violations of the king's laws over the monastery and its members, so that the cathedral monastery was curtailed in its autonomy. The chapter, however, was autonomous in its asset management - it was allowed to carry out all legal transactions in order to increase its own wealth, but of course also make expenses and make gifts.
Diocesan administration
The central function of the cathedral monasteries was to support the bishop in the administration of the respective diocese. This took place in the form of consultation ( consilium ): the bishop had to discuss certain important topics with the cathedral monastery within an assembly, because without their consent ( consensus ) he was not able to act in some matters. Such discussed topics represented, for example, the appointment and removal of church dignitaries. Especially then there were such conferences in the Schleswig Cathedral Monastery when the property of the cathedral or the church property ( mensa episcopalis ) was concerned (e.g. sales, donations or accept).
More than once it happened that the bishop wanted to ignore the participation of the monastery in financial matters, for example Bishop Hellembert (1331-1342), who sold several properties of the church in order to supplement his private finances. In contrast, the cathedral monastery complained to Pope Benedict XII. who asked Hellembert on June 30, 1339 to restore the property.
From 1542 the monastery lost its right of consensus on administrative issues of church property. In the case of changes in the benefit portfolio (e.g. when reserving a canonical or a prebend), however, the bishop still had to reassure the bishop with the cathedral monastery. In this respect, it did not completely lose its influence, although there is still plenty of additional evidence that it was overlooked as an authority in decision-making processes.
In the event of a vacancy, the cathedral monastery also represented the episcopal power within the diocese until a new bishop was appointed. It was possible to appoint one or more elected representatives (authorized vicars) as well as to temporarily represent the episcopate through the monastery as a whole. In any case, the bishop often chose his representatives and assistants from the ranks of the cathedral monastery.
Since 1198 the diocese of Schleswig was divided into archdeaconate districts, in 1300 the diocese is divided into a total of seven administrative districts (unlike in Germany called praepositurae ). The provosts had the same powers as the archdeacon in their districts.
Episcopal suffrage
One of the most outstanding special rights of the cathedral monasteries was to elect the bishop of the respective diocese. This development prevailed in the 13th century, but cannot be reconstructed for the diocese of Schleswig due to a lack of sources.
After the burial or notification of the cathedral monastery of the bishop's death, all resident prelates met to set a date for the election of a new bishop. All canons with voting rights within the church province of Lund were invited to this general assembly . The election was initiated by a mass, after which it was determined who of those present was eligible to vote and agreed on a type of election before proceeding to the election itself and ideally afterwards a new bishop was appointed.
Since Pope Johann XXII. (1316–1334) the popes often disregarded the cathedral monasteries and their right to elect them when they appointed a new bishop. In the 14th century, during the Avignon papacy , the pope exerted influence particularly often in Schleswig from all the dioceses of the Danish kingdom . In 1331, Pope Johann appointed Hellembert from Bremen as the new bishop. The Schleswig Cathedral monastery did not give up its influence and after the death of Bishop Warendorp in 1350/1351 elected a bishop from the center of the cathedral monastery, Canon Nicolaus Brunonis. In Lund he was ordained bishop as quickly as possible, which even the Pope could not undo. On the papal side, the bishop of Sarepta, Theodoric , had already been appointed as the new bishop of Schleswig. The dispute over this office was only in 1354 by Pope Innocent VI. ended, who declared Brunonis' election to be bishop as invalid, but introduced him to office himself for a high price through a commission. Also in the following there were disputes of this kind about the office of bishop, in which the cathedral monastery tried to enforce its traditional right to vote, but was usually unsuccessful.
From 1494, the cathedral monastery was only to elect the candidate for the office of bishop who was nominated by the king and duke. In the course of time, the cathedral monastery lost its independence and its privileges in the election of the bishop and became merely an institution that worked under the king and approved its elections.
Asset management and real estate
The property, which grew over time through purchases and donations received, was the basis of the foundation's assets. Since large sums of money accumulated in the monastery in this way and through profitable financial investments, it was not uncommon for aristocrats such as Duke Adolf VIII and King Christian I to ask the monastery for financial help and thus made themselves somewhat dependent on the clergy.
The possessions of the monastery were divided into a total of ten bailiwicks and corresponded to just under 380-400 hooves before the Reformation . In addition, the monastery did not have to pay any fees to the king or duke - neither services nor financial contributions such as taxes. However, it could very well demand such services and fees itself. Due to the jurisdiction over the persons who belonged to the property of the cathedral monastery, the monastery was able to book substantial income. In addition, it conducted court proceedings over all persons who belonged to its property - Duke Erich von Schleswig had awarded this to the monastery in 1261. In 1326, the monastery was even given the right to judge serious offenses (such as homicides) before Duke Gerhard decided in 1399 that people who did not belong to the cathedral monastery should in future decide on legal questions pertaining to the people on the monastery’s property and the cathedral monastery to her Judicial law over members of their possessions thus effectively took place.
Thanks to extensive donations and other income, the chapter was one of the wealthiest landowners in the country alongside the princes. Since no duties or taxes had to be paid from the Domstift estates and the princes were limited in their income, Count Gerhard VI forbade . 1390 that real estate could be donated to the cathedral monastery (but the monastery was still allowed to buy them).
With the introduction of the Reformation in 1542, the rights of the cathedral monastery were curtailed by the new church ordinance, also with regard to its asset management: The cathedral monastery was still responsible for financial management, but surpluses could not be disposed of without royal approval. The salaries (of the pen writer, for example) should also be paid directly from the income in the future. The monastery was also unable to change anything on its own in terms of its holdings, although it largely retained its possessions.
literature
- Klaus Harms: The cathedral chapter of Schleswig from its beginnings up to 1542 . Hansen, Preetz 1915.
- Klaus-Peter Reumann: The basic and judicial rule of the Schleswig cathedral chapter from 1542 to 1658 (= series of publications of the Association for Schleswig-Holstein Church History ). Wolff, Flensburg 1969.
- Gottfried Ernst Hoffmann : The spiritual seal of Schleswig-Holstein in the Middle Ages . 1: The seals of the bishops of Schleswig and Lübeck, the cathedral monuments and collegiate registers of Schleswig, Hadersleben, Lübeck, Eutin and Hamburg as well as their dignitaries. Neumünster 1933.
- Erwin Gatz : Diocese of Schleswig . In: Erwin Gatz [u. a.] (Ed.): The dioceses of the Holy Roman Empire from their beginnings to secularization . Freiburg im Breisgau 2003, p. xx .
- Andrea Boockmann: Spiritual and secular jurisdiction in the medieval diocese of Schleswig . Neumünster 1967.
- Wolfgang Prange: The minutes of the Lübeck cathedral chapter 1535 - 1540 . In: Schleswig-Holstein regest and documents . tape 11 . Neumünster 1990.
Web links
- Schleswig Cathedral Monastery (GSN: 679). In: Germania Sacra , http://klosterdatenbank.germania-sacra.de/gsn/679
- Project for the creation of a monastery book on Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein , on the website of the University of Kiel.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gatz, p. 665.
- ↑ a b Harms, p. 88.
- ↑ Boockmann, p. 43.
- ^ Harms, pp. 7-10.
- ^ Harms, p. 10.
- ↑ Boockmann, p. 45.
- ↑ Boockmann, p. 47.
- ↑ Different information on this from Harms, who gives the year 1145 in this context; see Harms, p. 5.
- ↑ Gatz, p. 665.
- ^ Harms, p. 6.
- ↑ Harms, p. 89f.
- ^ Harms, p. 91.
- ^ Harms, p. 92.
- ↑ Boockmann, p. 44.
- ↑ Harms, p. 34.
- ^ Harms, p. 35.
- ↑ Harms, p. 36.
- ^ Harms, p. 38.
- ↑ Harms, p. 38f.
- ↑ Harms, pp. 39-41.
- ^ Harms, p. 42.
- ↑ Harms, p. 43f.
- ↑ Harms, p. 44f.
- ↑ Harms, p. 45f.
- ↑ Boockmann, p. 42f.
- ↑ Gatz, p. 665.
- ^ Harms, p. 11.
- ↑ Harms, p. 12f.
- ^ Harms, p. 15.
- ↑ Harms, p. 27.
- ^ Harms, p. 33.
- ↑ Harms, p. 92f.
- ↑ Harms, p. 94f.
- ↑ Harms, pp. 95f.
- ^ Harms, p. 97.
- ^ Harms, p. 98.
- ^ Harms, p. 105.
- ^ Harms, p. 106.
- ^ Harms, p. 107.
- ^ Harms, p. 108.
- ↑ Harms, p. 112.
- ^ Harms, p. 117.
- ^ Harms, pp. 118f.
- ↑ Harms, pp. 120f.
- ^ Harms, p. 127f.
- ^ Harms, p. 99.
- ↑ Harms, p. 100f.
- ↑ Harms, p. 102f.