Genoveva of Brabant

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Genoveva in the forest solitude, painting by Adrian Ludwig Richter , 1841

Genoveva von Brabant (allegedly * around 730 ; † around 750 ), also: Genovefa , is, according to tradition, the daughter of a Duke of Brabant and the wife of a Count Palatine Siegfried. It is unlikely that she actually existed as a historical person. The corresponding descriptions largely follow basic motifs ( archetypes ) that can be found again and again and thus appear as an arrangement developed over centuries of narrative tradition, with typical names for typical characters also striking. Siegfried represents the basic type of a noble landlord in early German history, while Genoveva shows the motif of the conflict between “male” justice and “female” salvation, which is also present in the legend of Saint Genoveva . There are also indications that the first writing of the story was written in the Maria Laach monastery in the early 14th century. Striking are z. B. also parallels with names to the founding history of the monastery in the 11th and 12th centuries and a plot parallel to the biography of Ludwig the Strict (13th century).

Content of the saga

When Count Palatine Siegfried (as a follower of the king, possibly Karl Martell ), went to war, Genoveva was sought after by Siegfried's governor Golo; his wooing was spurned by the faithful Genoveva. He then accused Genoveva of adultery with a cook and sentenced her to death. However, she was spared by the executioner and released (parallel to Snow White ). She then lived with her newborn son for six years in a cave in which the Blessed Virgin Mary looked after them with a doe . Eventually her husband Siegfried, who always believed in her innocence but accepted Golo's decision as governor, found her again and built a pilgrimage church in thanks for Genoveva's salvation . After the true course of history was discovered, Golo was quartered at Siegfried's behest.

Genoveva (etching by Hugo Bürkner, 1854, after a drawing by Julius Huebner, 1837)

Sources, authors and traditions

The oral tradition was probably written down in the nearby Maria Laach monastery in the 14th century. This can be seen with some probability in connection with the letter of indulgence for Fraukirch of April 2, 1325, which also found its way into the legend. In 1448 the legend was stylistically revised by the then "Rector Scholarum" in Maria Laach, Johannes Seinius. However, the resulting manuscript is lost. The Carmelite Matthias Emyrich, who comes from Andernach, probably knew the material of the Genovefa legend since his youth and in 1472 wrote an extensively expanded and decorated variant. The manuscript written by him is, according to Felix Brüll, in the Trier city library. The Laacher monk Johannes von Andernach published a short version of the history of the founding of Fraukirch and the Genovefa legend contained therein. Although this manuscript has not been preserved in the original either, the content is in further copies. In any case, the last abbot of Maria Laach Monastery, Thomas Kupp, in 1802 in his “Disertatio in vitam Palatino-Genoveficam pure et fideliter” after Heinrich Sauerborn, refers to a handwriting that is pure and free of ingredients. The Genovefa legend contained in the Latin manuscript by Thomas Kupp was translated into German by Heinrich Sauerborn and published in 1856 in his book "History of the Countess Palatine Genovefa and the Chapel of Frauenkirchen".

Altar of the Fraukirch (17th century) depicting the legend
Genoveva with son, the doe at their feet; Relief by Reinhold Teutenberg in Maria Laach

Dissemination and reception

The legend found widespread circulation and popularity through a story by Christoph von Schmid . In the 19th century there were numerous receipts, for example the play Genoveva by Friedrich Hebbel , which Robert Schumann used as the basis for his opera of the same name . In 1866 Mathilde Wesendonck published her tragedy “Genovefa” in three acts. Jacques Offenbach also wrote an operetta with the same title. Even as a piece of puppet theater -Bühne was legend, very popular. Gustav Schwab included the material in his German People's Books . At the beginning of his novel In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust refers to the legend: the narrator remembers that as a child he was shown the story of Genoveva of Brabant using a magic lantern . In the later course of the novel, too, reference is made to the legend, which is interwoven in a complex way with various figures (especially with the Duchess of Guermantes) and motifs. A retelling of the legend in novel form by Günter Ruch was published in 2002 under the title "Genovefa" and in 2006 it was also published as an audio book. In 2014/15 a musical version by Carsten Braun (music) and Peter Nüesch (text) was created in Mayen , which was premiered at the castle festival there in summer 2015.

Regional assignment

For the regional tradition of Pellenz , in addition to the very clear explanations in the work of Marquard Freher (1612/13) (see below), local researchers state that a number of locations in this landscape match the names and contents of the legend - primarily Fraukirch near Thür as important pivotal point of the legend for 400 years, but also the Genoveva cave in Hochstein near Ettringen , the Genoveva castle in Mayen with the Goloturm and the Golokreuz near Thür. Numerous streets in the towns in the region bear names from the legend. Since these names certainly all come from the 19th or 20th century, they express more of a solidarity that is still recognizable in the population today than evidence. The Genoveva cave near Butzweiler also had its name since the middle of the 19th century. Particularly noteworthy in this context is the so-called goloring in clouds . It is a Neolithic henge monument and the alleged place where the knight Golo was divided into four. The high altar of the Fraukirch pilgrimage chapel from the 17th century is an important regional evidence.

In the 13th century, Genoveva of Brabant was venerated as a saint in parts of the Catholic population , although she was never officially canonized by the Catholic Church. According to tradition, their feast day is April 3rd .

Genoveva in poetry

  • Genouefa, d. is wonderful. Life u. Memorable stories ie Genouefa, born Hertduchess from Brabant , by Michael Staufacher, Dillingen [: Johann Caspard Bencard] (1660)
  • Genovefa, or the innocence known to man [by René de Cériziers], Dillingen: Joannes Casparus Bencard (1685)
  • Janôvaparvam (in Malayalam ), by Johann Ernst von Hanxleden (c. 1720–1732).
  • Genovefa in the tower , seal by the painter Müller (around 1775); later adopted in: Golo and Genovefa , play by painter Müller (around 1775)
  • Life and death of St. Genoveva , tragedy by Ludwig Tieck (1799)
  • Genovefa , by Christoph von Schmid (1810)
  • Genoveva , play by Friedrich Hebbel (1843)
  • Felix Brüll: The legend of the Countess Palatine Genovefa after the as yet unprinted, previously lost text by Johannes Seinius . Prüm, 1899. Online edition dilibri Rhineland-Palatinate
  • Genovefa , play by Peter Hacks (1993)
  • Genovefa , historical novel by Günter Ruch (2002)

Genoveva in music

Genoveva in the fine arts

  • Cycle of frescoes in Corredo (Trentino), Palazzo Nero, 15th century
  • Reliefs on the sandstone altar of the Fraukirch pilgrimage church , 1667
  • Illustrations by Joseph von Führich
  • Frescoes by Moritz von Schwind in the Weimar Residence
  • Etchings by Ludwig Richter , 1848
  • Marble sculptures by Carl Steinhäuser, 1854, Schwerin Palace and Focke Museum , Bremen
  • Relief by Brother Reinhold Teutenberg (1864–1935) near the Maria Laach Abbey Church

literature

Web links

Commons : Genoveva von Brabant  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Genoveva von Brabant  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Genovefa", Zurich, David Bürkli publishing house
  2. ^ Rhein-Zeitung: Genoveva-Sage will be played as a new musical , accessed on May 14, 2014
  3. ↑ Lt. Lexicon of Chr. Iconography: April 2nd
personal data
SURNAME Genoveva of Brabant
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Daughter of a duke of Brabant
DATE OF BIRTH at 730
DATE OF DEATH around 750