Georg Christoph von Gravenreuth

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Georg Christoph von Gravenreuth (* 1667 probably in Oberredwitz ; † March 6, 1736 in Kalmreuth ) was the founder of the Gravenreuth monastery. The collegiate church was built in St. Georgen am See , today a district of Bayreuth .

Origin and family

Georg Christoph von Gravenreuth came from the Franconian noble family von Gravenreuth . His father, Wolf Heinrich von Gravenreuth, sat on the Oberredwitz estate, now a district of Marktredwitz . The father sold this property, which had long been owned by the family, to Hans Achaz von Lindenfels . Together with his older brother Hans Wolf Adam, Georg Christoph tried to reverse this sale, but without success. The family was then forced to find accommodation in a house in Arzberg . His father died in 1695 and his older brother in 1703. In 1703 Georg Christoph acquired the modest Hofmark Kalmreuth near Neustadt an der Waldnaab . He lived there in rather poor conditions. His first marriage was to Ermuthe Sophie, born von Thüna († 1722), and his second marriage to Maria Magdalena von Juncker from Eger . The marriage ended in separation.

Gravenreuther pen

Historical view of a copper plate

The von Gravenreuth family had close relationships with the Bayreuth margrave Georg Wilhelm . The brothers Christian Martin and Johann Christoph Karl Ernst von Gravenreuth, who are largely related to Georg Christoph, belonged to the Order de la Sincérité and thus to the closest circle of the margrave. According to tradition, Georg Christoph von Gravenreuth is said to have felt addressed by the Brandenburger Kirchweih (on Georgstag ) in St. Georgen am See , among other things because of the cult of the name Georg as Saint George and at the same time the margrave as the bearer of the name.

With his will of July 30, 1735, Georg Christoph determined the construction of a hospital and a chapel in St. Georgen. His second wife, Maria Magdalena Juncker von Oberkunreuth, nevertheless received part of the inheritance in a settlement. The foundation's assets were increased through further donations. The monastery was built in 1743 and the inauguration took place in August 1744.

The monastery building is a symmetrical two-storey building. In the middle there is a small church with a rather inconspicuous turret. The interior of the church with a pulpit altar and double galleries is richly decorated with stucco by Jeronimo Francesco Andrioli, paintings by Friedrich Marian Herold and carvings by Johann Jeremias Martini. According to the purpose of the foundation, poor elderly men lived in the wings, for whom the entrance fee to the monastery was waived if they had little wealth. Initially there were four beneficiaries , but their number rose to 12 in 1828. According to the purpose of the foundation, one of her tasks was to pray twice a day in the collegiate church.

After the First World War , the foundation's assets were used up by the devaluation of money. The Gravenreuther Stift was incorporated into the Hospital Foundation. After an examination of the crypt below the church in 1970, it is assumed that the founder and his first wife found their resting place there.

  • The Gravenreuther Stift in St. Georgen

  • Facade of the central part, entrance to the church

  • Portal with inscription and coat of arms

  • The Gravenreuther Stift at the end of the street

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Gravenreuth, Georg Christoph von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Founder of the Gravenreuther Stift
DATE OF BIRTH 1667
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Oberredwitz
DATE OF DEATH March 6, 1736
Place of death Kalmreuth