Mönchengladbach Minster

Mönchengladbach Minster St. Vitus

The Mönchengladbach Minster St. Vitus is a Catholic church in Mönchengladbach . From 974 to 1802 the minster was the abbey church of the Benedictine Abbey of Gladbach. In 1974 the church was opened by Pope Paul VI. On the occasion of the 84th German Catholic Day in Mönchengladbach and the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the abbey, elevated to the status of a papal minor basilica .

History of the abbey

founding

After his return from Constantinople , probably around 974, Archbishop Gero of Cologne founded an abbey on Gladbach Hill . He placed them under the protection of the Holy Spirit , Mary , the Mother of God, and the martyr Vitus . This happened at a time when monasticism was developing again after the division of the Frankish empire of Emperor Charlemagne and new reform movements radiated from the abbeys of Gorze near Metz and Cluny in Burgundy . The first abbot in Gladbach was named Sandrad , who came as a monk from St. Maximin in Trier and had previously worked as a reformer in numerous monasteries. Sandrad was an important religious figure of his time, who enjoyed the special trust of Emperor Otto I and his wife Adelheid . Sandrad is said to have been the empress's confessor .

The following legend is told of the founding of the abbey:

When the Archbishop of Cologne Gero and in his company the Trier monk Sandrad came to the ruins on the Abbey Hill, the "uncultivated mountain covered by dense, shady forest" in search of a suitable place for the intended foundation of a monastery, they heard deeply a bell inside the mountain; They followed the sound and found, hidden in a hollow stone, the relics of Saints Vitus , Cornelius , Cyprianus , Chrysantus and Barbara from the destroyed Balderich Church . With this the place of the foundation of the monastery was indicated by a divine sign.

In fact, the legend goes back to an old manuscript called Fundatio , which described the founding history of Gladbach Abbey as an archetype around 1090, but no longer exists today in the original. The oldest known copy of this manuscript is in the library of the Societé des Bollandistes in Brussels . The document must have been written around 1120–1130. In Latin it deals with the meeting of Geros and Sandrad, as well as the legend of the founding of the abbey. The first church building by Balderich in the time of Charlemagne is mentioned. The author also reports on the destruction of this previous church in the reign of Otto I by the “nefarious people of the Hungarians ”.

Archbishop Gero was a native of Saxony and St. Vitus was the tribal patron of the Saxons and patron of the Ottonian royal family. The relics of St. Vitus were transferred to Corvey on the Weser in 836 from the noble St. Denis monastery near Paris , which was also the burial place of Frankish kings . Even if the transfer of the Vitus relics directly to Gladbach cannot be ruled out, it can be assumed that from 836 a connection to St. Vitus existed, the written founding history can be confirmed and the relics were already here before the abbey was founded.

The founding place in Gladbach also had a disadvantage for Gero: The spiritual responsibility for the Cologne monastery lay with the Bishop of Liège, who in turn was suffragan of the Archbishop. The Archbishop of Cologne was left with the obligation to protect the monastery, as well as the supervision of the secular jurisdiction. Furthermore, the resulting gradients , that is, the yields, income and taxes belonged to his property. Gero is likely to have pursued the strategic political goal of gaining further influence beyond its own diocese borders.

The monks committed themselves to the rule of St. Benedict . During profession, the monks vowed Stabilitas loci , that is, attachment to a particular monastery, monastic lifestyle and obedience.

Development of the abbey

During the tenure of Cologne Archbishop Everger (985 to 999), who was notorious for his bitter character, an area swap with Liège took place: The archbishopric was given Gladbach and Rheydt , while Liège was given Tegelen , Lobberich and Venlo . Everger was previously responsible in 986 for the temporary transfer of Abbot Folrad and the entire convent of Gladbach Abbey to Groß St. Martin Abbey in Cologne.

The history of the abbey in the years following its founding essentially corresponded to that of other Benedictine monasteries . The heyday of the abbey was in the period of artistic creation on the Rhine from the tenth to the end of the thirteenth century. This is reflected in the construction work and extensions at the cathedral during this time. By 1120 at the latest, the monastery became part of the Siegburg reform .

City, abbey and monastery church in 1642

At the end of the 13th century, as elsewhere, a decline in intellectual life and a decline in monastic discipline began. The Gladbach Abbey joined the Bursfeld Reform Association in 1511 under Abbot Aegidius von Bocholtz , with which the abbey found its way back to its original task on its own. After the Thirty Years' War 1618–1648, which left severe damage, the abbey was driven by a counter-Reformation spirit.

With the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801, the Rhineland went to France. The secularization in the departments on the left bank of the Rhine in 1802 brought about the nationalization of church property and meant the de facto expropriation of the Catholic Church. The monastery in Gladbach was closed in 1802 and the monastery buildings were sold. The movable property fell into many hands. In 1803 a cotton factory moved into the venerable monastery buildings. In 1804, by decree of Bishop Marcus Antonius Berdolet of Aachen, the cathedral was assigned to the parish of Gladbach as an "auxiliary and annex chapel".

The baroque prelature building of the former Benedictine monastery has housed the town hall of Mönchengladbach since 1835 . The city celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 1974, based on the founding of the abbey in 974.

Abbots of Gladbach

Building history of the church

Church building around 800

West Tower 2014

The Gladbach Minster was born around 800, long before it was actually founded. A report from the late 11th century gives the first reliable information about settlement of the Abbey Mountain. This was probably created in the scriptorium , the writing room of the later Gladbach monastery. In a richly decorated story a "certain Balderich, nobleman of the empire" is mentioned, who built a church on the hill long before the abbey was founded, which was destroyed by the Hungarians in 954.

First monastery church

According to the excavations found in 1955, the first monastery church from 974 was an elongated, hall-like room, which was probably connected to a small square choir in the east and a narrow, three-part transverse building with a forecourt in the west. The Carolingian church building was completed under the second abbot Folrad (985 / 86–998) and was to last until the late 12th century. Abbot Heinrich acquired a church bell around 1052 , which suggests that a west tower was already there at that time.

Second monastery church

The first abbey church was expanded between 1024 and 1067. The crypt and the choir were built in the 11th century as a new building for the second monastery church. The location and the dimensions of the building indicate that it was completely redesigned in the architectural style of a Romanesque basilica from the Middle Ages.

In the 12th century, the basement of today's west tower with the mighty portal, the entrance hall and the gallery as well as the abbot's chapel were built.

In the first half of the 13th century the nave from the late Staufer period was built and the choir was expanded. The mighty westwork of the minster and the Gothic choir still bear witness to this plan. The Cologne cathedral builder Gerhard von Köln was won over for the planning and implementation . Gerhard completed the construction of the Gladbach Minster during his lifetime - in contrast to the Cologne Cathedral . Albertus Magnus , the eminent scholar, imperial prince and bishop of Regensburg , consecrated the church on April 12, 1275 .

Abteiberg around 1885: The minster with a baroque curved hood

In the 14th century, the nave of the minster with its vault received its present shape. The octagon and the northern staircase were created. Starting with the aisles, construction progressed from west to east to the planned crossing. But the vaulting of the central nave had to be postponed to later times (it took place in the 15th century). Nor could the three-conch choir , which was planned based on Cologne models , be realized. The existing mighty bundle pillars with the intended crossing point to it today .

In the 17th / 18th In the 19th century, the cathedral was given a “contemporary” baroque interior. Only a few works of art in the medieval inventory, such as the miraculous image of the Blessed Mother in the crypt or the baptismal font from the 12th century, were excluded from the baroque style of the interior of the minster. The tower was given a curved dome under Abbot Servatius van den Berg in 1749, which was in place until the late 19th century.

In 1804 the minster was assigned to the parish of Gladbach. The former abbey church was restored under Vincenz Statz from 1857 to 1862. In 1892 the baroque dome was demolished and the tower raised.

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  Floor plan of the abbey church (Vincenz Statz, 1896)

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  Floor plan of the crypt (Vincenz Statz, 1896)

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  Cross-section through the choir (Vincenz Statz, 1896)

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  Münster from the southwest ( Ludwig Arntz , 1892)

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  Münster from the southeast ( Friedrich Pützer , 1896)

World War II and post-war period

South view

The cathedral was badly damaged by bombs in 1943/1944. Not only did the roofs burn down - the "vaults of the side aisles, the choir and the nave collapsed." The crypt was also destroyed. The upper floor of the cathedral tower was torn away. During this difficult time, the cathedral ran the risk of the remaining building fabric being endangered by the weather.

In 1947 the Münster-Bauverein was founded as an initiative from the Mönchengladbach citizens. His goal was to preserve the venerable cult site of the West and one of the most impressive monuments of medieval architecture in the Rhineland. From 1947 extensive renovations were carried out. In 1950 the first service took place in the cathedral again. In 1952 the tower was restored. At the end of 1954 the vault of the crypt could be restored. From 1955 the church windows were re-glazed. In 1961 a new organ was purchased by J. von Glatter-Götz ( Rieger-Orgelbau ). In 1965 the cathedral received its new bell, which to this day consists of ten bells.

Furnishing

Church interior

Church interior and choir

The church interior is characterized by the early Gothic central nave and the high Gothic choir hall, which, with its slim and elegant shapes, represents the architectural highlight of the interior. The richly decorated columns and blind arcades of the abbot's chapel on the upper floor of the tower are of great importance in the Rhineland because they were built during the Staufer period. For the powerful main pillars of the nave were trachyte from Drachenfels used.

The two side aisles act as separate rooms and follow the central nave. The Stephanuschor closes the right aisle to the east. Its furnishings and the altar date from before 1275. Outside this south aisle, a two-bay apostle chapel was built, which is also called capella baptisterii or capella fontis (baptistery). In this chapel is the font from the 12th century, made of bluestone in the Maasland style . It is adorned with lion-like mythical creatures and sculptural male heads. In 1975 Franz Gutmann created a bronze insert depicting scenes from the consecration of the baptismal water during Easter . Since the 1950s there have been three graves of abbots of the monastery in a crypt, which are covered by an old grave slab made of Namur bluestone.

In the north aisle there are tomb slabs of the graves of other abbots on the walls. To the north of the choir hall is the Martinus Choir, created between 1275 and 1300, in which the Lower Rhine sculpture of Anna Selbdritt from the late 15th century is kept.

The early Gothic cross altar forms the center of the chancel in its place in front of the choir hall. The altar is made of Weiberner tuff and decorated with pointed arches .

On the occasion of the millennium of the abbey founding, the cathedral received a bronze triumphal cross from Elmar Hillebrand as a gift from the city in 1975 . It aims in figural representations and with pictorial connections of Old Testament, ancient and New Testament motifs and quotations on the crucified Jesus Christ .

The ambo , also created by Hillebrand in 1991, shows the evangelists Mark , Matthew , Luke and Johannes in the upper corners , who can be recognized by the open books. The Rule of St. Benedict per ducatum evangelii - let's go our way under the guidance of the Gospel - adorns the front of the ambo. The prophets Abraham , Isaiah , Moses and Jeremiah embody the Old Testament in further reliefs. The book edition of the desk depicts the crucifixion scene with Jesus Christ, Mary and John .

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  Early Gothic cross altar

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  Baptismal font, 12th century

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  Anna selbdritt in the Martinus Choir (15th century)

crypt

The crypt is the oldest and most venerable room in the Münster. The architecture and the interior design go back to the end of the eleventh century - the construction of the second monastery church. The crypt is dedicated to Our Lady - this corresponds to the primordial human conceptions and the ancient custom of moving mother shrines into the bosom of the earth. Architecturally, the crypt consists of a hall with three naves and five square yokes. The conclusion to the east is the Marien Altar. The miraculous image of the “Madonna in the Chasm”, an oak wood sculpture from the Lower Rhine from around 1480, depicts the Mother of God as “Our Lady”, who is holding the child playing with a parrot with her left hand.

window

Detail of the Bible window from 1260

The church, but also the crypt and sacristy are richly decorated with works of stained glass. The oldest “Bible window” still preserved from the early history of the minster comes from the 13th century.

• The “Biblical Festival” in the choir from 1260, artist unknown
• Four windows in the choir by Wilhelm Geyer (1956) show the life stories of Abraham, James, Moses and David and parables
• Seven tall windows in the choir by Wilhelm Geyer (1956) on Creation, Creation of Man, Noah's Ark, Secret Revelation, Cup Angels and the New Jerusalem
• Six ceilings windows by Daan Wildschut (1957) with depictions of apostles with motifs and figures from the Old Testament
• Four windows in the Martin choir by Wilhelm Geyer (1960). One of the pointed arched windows shows motifs from the life of St. Benedict.
• The window in the cloister by Joachim Klos (1960) as "Free Composition"
• Four windows in the abbot's chapel by Daan Wildschut (1961) depicting the archangels Uriel, Gabriel, Rafael and Michael
• Glazing of the six aisle windows by Wilhelm Geyer (1965) "Adoration of the Cross" and "Defense against Evil"
• Nine aisle windows as "Geometric Compositions" by Wilhelm Buschulte (1975)
• Two windows in the sacristy by Hans Lünenborg (1981) depicting passion motifs using the remaining glazing from the 16th century
• Seven windows in the crypt by Georg Meistermann (1984) with motifs from the Lauretanian litany and symbols of the Virgin Mary
• The "Geometric Composition" in the window above the side entrance by Wilhelm Buschulte (2007)
• Two trial panes in the cloister by Daan Wildschut (1956) "Annunciation to Mary" and "Christ's Birth"
• Trial disc in the cloister by Walther (Hugo) Benner (1956) "Crucifixion"
• Trial disc in the cloister by Heinrich Dieckmann (undated) "Carrying the Cross"

organ

Organ prospectus

The organ was built in 1961 by the Rieger organ builder (Vorarlberg, Austria). The instrument has 44 registers on 3  manuals and a pedal . The key action is mechanical, the key action electrically. The instrument has the following disposition :

I Rückpositiv C – g 3 1. Reed flute 8th' 2. Salicional 8th' 3. Principal 4 ′ 4th Coupling flute 4 ′ 5. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 6th Gemshorn 2 ′ 7th None 8 ⁄ 9 ′ 8th. Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 9. Scharff IV 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 10. Krummhorn 8th' 11. Schalmey 4 ′ Tremulant

II Hauptwerk C – g 3 12. Pommer 16 ′ 13. Principal 8th' 14th Pointed flute 8th' 15th Octave 4 ′ 16. Reed flute 4 ′ 17th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 18th Super octave 2 ′ 19th Larigot 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ +1 ′ 20th Mixture VI 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 21st Cornett VI (from f sharp 0 ) 8th' horizontal: 22nd Trumpet 8th' 23. Clairon 4 ′ Tremulant

III Breastwork C – g 3 24. Wooden dacked 8th' 25th Wooden pipe flute 4 ′ 26th Quintad 4 ′ 27. Principal 2 ′ 28. recorder 2 ′ 29 third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 30th Sifflet 1' 31. Cymbel II 1 ⁄ 2 ′ 32. musette 16 ′ 33. Rankett 8th' Tremulant

Pedal C – f 1 34. Sub bass 16 ′ 35. Octavbass 8th' 36. Sub bass 8th' 37. Fifth 5 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 38. Choral bass 4 ′ 39. flute 2 ′ 40. Götz 4 ′ 41. Back set IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 42. bassoon 16 ′ 43. trombone 8th' 44. prong 4 ′ Tremulant

• Coupling: I / II, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
• Playing aids : 6-fold mechanical setting system + pleno
• Secondary register: Cymbelstern, Nachtigall

Bells

The three oldest verifiable church bells in the minster came from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. They were destroyed by the effects of war.

The only Laurentius bell from 1693 that has survived from Abteilich's time returned from Euskirchen .

The ten new bells were cast in 1965 by Wolfgang Hausen-Mabilon, Mabilon & Co., Saarburg . Under Probst Josef Kauff and Dr. Hans Neuenhofer, head of the specially founded bell committee, the financial means were provided by generous donations from patrons and sponsors from the region.

A tonal assessment of the loud bells confirms that "with the best musical clarity, vital flow of sound development, it achieves an extraordinarily splendid, solemn and, on the whole, happy effect".

Technical specifications

Bell jar	Surname	Ø (mm)	Weight (kg)	Nominal
1	Vitus bell	1860	4100	a 0
2	Holy Spirit Bell	1656	2800	h 0
3	Marienbell	1478	2000	cis 1
4th	Michael Bell	1246	1150	e 1
5	St. John's Bell	1109	800	f sharp 1
6th	Peter Bell	1932	450	a 1
7th	Paul Bell	800	350	h 1
8th	Benedictine bell	713	220	c sharp 2
9	Stephen Bell	599	120	e 2
10	Martinus bell	533	90	f sharp 2

Bell motif

Latin hymn : Veni creator spiritus , German “Come, Holy Spirit, who creates life” or “Come, Creator Spirit, come to us” ( Praise to God nos. 341, 342 and 351).

Treasury

The abbey's rich goldsmith treasure was lost in the course of secularization. The French revolutionary armies melted it down in 1794. Today the treasury only has a fraction of its previous treasures. The treasure chamber is located in the east wing of the former monastery and can be reached via a connecting corridor from the cathedral.

In addition to some important goldsmith's work from the Baroque period and the 19th century, which rewrote the relics of the monastery, a Romanesque portable altar (around 1160) stands out, which is an important work of Cologne goldsmithing, chasing and pit enamel art in the Rhineland. It contains relics of St. Gereon and his comrades, however, used to serve the abbot primarily as a celebration altar when traveling or in sickrooms. Next to it is an ivory box from the 13th century, which may have come from the Orient at the time of the Crusades and which could have been used to store relics. Various manuscripts have also been preserved , including a 12th century missal , the monastery book of the dead , the “Necrologium Gladbacense”, as well as a neumed chorale script (“Gladbacher Choral”).

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  Reliquary box wood / ivory (12th - 13th centuries)

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  Necrologium Gladbacense, manuscript (1140–1155)

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  Portable altar from 1160

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  Bust of St. Ursula (1350-1360)

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  Bust reliquary of St. Vitus (1875)

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  Choir area (manuscript, 15th century)

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  Last Supper Shrine (1895)

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  Saint Vitus (1895)

In the gilded sacrament shrine the sacrament cloth is kept, which according to tradition is said to have been on the last sacrament table. It is shown to the faithful every seven years during the journey to the shrine . The last sanctuary tour took place in 2014.

Also of importance are a Germanic stone tablet with runic symbols , a Byzantine chasuble from the grave of the Sandrad in the central nave of the minster, and the seal of Albertus Magnus on the occasion of his consecration of the high altar in 1275. There are also two large wooden candlesticks from the 15th century.

Monument protection description

“The Church of St. Vitus rises at a commanding height and forms the outstanding ensemble of the old town with the town hall, on the north rear of which it abuts with the facade, and the slightly higher main parish church of the Assumption of Mary.

The object is a three-aisled pillar basilica with a west building and 2-bay Gothic east choir (7/12 closure), north just closed side choir and sacristy on the choir side. On the south side of the nave there is a chapel-like extension of 2 bays. The side aisles are drawn out over the tower to the stair towers.

In the interplay with the parish church and the former monastery buildings, the cathedral also and especially makes it clear how the juxtaposition of different architectural styles creates the charm of an overall complex. Despite the strong independence of the individual buildings of the Abbey Mountain, the city has a successful example of the cohesion of different epochs of its past. These signs of historicity make the ensemble worth protecting despite the severe destruction of the Second World War. "

literature

• Peter Ropertz: Sources and contributions to the history of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Vitus in M.-Gladbach . Oberger, M. Gladbach 1877 ( digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf ).
• Gottfried Eckertz: The fraternization and death book of the Abbey of Gladbach. With registers and a facsimile of the manuscript. Palm, Aachen 1881. Digitized
• Paul Clemen : The art monuments of the cities and districts of Gladbach and Krefeld. In: Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz on behalf of the Provincial Association, third volume . Schwann, Düsseldorf 1896.
• Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster: The former Benedictine Abbey Church of St. Vitus . B. Kühl Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957.
• Hugo Borger: The minster S. Vitus to Mönchen-Gladbach . In: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Rheinlandes, Vol. 6. Fredebeul & Koenen, Essen 1958.
• Manfred Petry: The founding history of the St. Vitus Abbey in Mönchengladbach . In: Contributions to the history of the city and abbey of Mönchengladbach, vol. 5 . Published by: Mönchengladbach City Archives, Mönchengladbach 1974.
• Edmund Erlemann, Hans Bange, Barbara Maiburg: The Gladbach Minster: Tour-History-Change. Cooling, Mönchengladbach 2006, ISBN 3-87448-278-2 .
• Wolfgang Löhr [Red.]: The minster is alive! City of Mönchengladbach, The Lord Mayor (Ed.). City Talks Mönchengladbach Vol. 4, Mönchengladbach 2006.
• Natalie Alexandra Holtschoppen: St. Vitus to Gladbach . Edited by the city of Mönchengladbach - city archive and the Münsterbauverein eV Mönchengladbach. Klartext-Verlag, Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89861-979-0 .
• Christoph Nohn: Prelude to Gladbach's history. The founding history of Gladbach Abbey and the political tension in Lotharingia in the 9th and 10th centuries . Klartext Verlag, Essen 2011, ISBN 978-3-8375-0510-8 .
• Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach . Published in: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, ISBN 978-3-86526-089-5 .
• Annette Jansen-Winkeln: Glass painting in the St. Vitus Minster. Research Center for 20th Century Glass Painting Foundation, Mönchengladbach. Link: http://www.glasmalerei-ev.net/pages/b31/b31.shtml .
• Helmut Jansen: The burning bush - depictions of the Old and New Testaments in the Münsterkirche in Mönchengladbach . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 2014, ISBN 978-3-87448-387-2 .
• Bayer, Meiering, Seidler, Struck: Treasure Art in Rhenish Churches and Museums, Schnell & Steiner Verlag, 1st edition 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-2827-3

Web links

Commons : Münster St. Vitus (Mönchengladbach)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the Münster-Bauverein eV, Mönchengladbach

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 6.
2. ↑ Sermo in inventione reliquarum sanctorum Viti, Cornelii, Cypriani et aliorum in Gladebach , in: Vitae Sanctorum , Legendar of the 12th century from the former abbey library, today Societé des Bollandistes in Brussels .
3. ↑ Manfred Petry: The founding history of the St. Vitus Abbey in Mönchengladbach . Published by: Mönchengladbach City Archives, Mönchengladbach 1974, p. 59.
4. ↑ Internet site of the parish of St. Vitus - History of the Minster ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on August 24, 2014. 
5. ↑ Manfred Petry: The founding history of the St. Vitus Abbey in Mönchengladbach . Published by: Mönchengladbach City Archives, Mönchengladbach 1974, p. 32.
6. ↑ ^{a b} Alexandra Holtschoppen: On the founding history of the St. Vitus monastery in Mönchengladbach . In: Uwe Ludwig, Thomas Schilp (ed.): Middle Ages on the Rhine and Maas . Waxmann, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8309-1380-X , pp. 80-85.
7. ↑ Manfred Petry: The founding history of the St. Vitus Abbey in Mönchengladbach . Published by: Mönchengladbach City Archives, Mönchengladbach 1974, p. 34.
8. ↑ Manfred Petry: The founding history of the St. Vitus Abbey in Mönchengladbach . Published by: Mönchengladbach City Archives, Mönchengladbach 1974, p. 37.
9. ^ ^{A b} Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 9f.
10. ^ ^{A b} Hugo Borger: The minster S. Vitus to Mönchen-Gladbach . Diss. Essen 1958.
11. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 13.
12. ^ ^{A b} Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach . In: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, p. 24.
13. ^ Wolfgang Löhr: The Gladbach Benedictines . Mönchengladbach 2001, pp. 76-83.
14. ^ Wilhelm Classen: Archdeaconate of Xanten . In: The Archdiocese of Cologne, Germania sacra Dept. 3, The Dioceses of the Church Province of Cologne . Berlin 1938, pp. 425-429.
15. ^ Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach. In: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, p. 4.
16. ^ ^{A b} Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus. B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 7.
17. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus. B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 60.
18. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus. B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 13f.
19. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 8f.
20. ^ Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach . Published in: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, p. 15.
21. ^ ^{A b c} Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The Minster St. Vitus in Mönchengladbach . Published in: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, pp. 16f.
22. ^ ^{A b} Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach . Published in: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, p. 19.
23. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 22.
24. ^ Karl-Heinz Schumacher: The St. Vitus Minster in Mönchengladbach . Published in: Rheinische Kunststätten, issue 544 , Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2013, pp. 22f.
25. ↑ Hans Bange: The Gladbach Minster - The former Benedictine abbey church of St. Vitus . B. Kühlen Verlag, Mönchengladbach 1957, p. 24.
26. ^ Annette Jansen-Winkeln: Glass painting in the St. Vitus Minster. Research Center for 20th Century Glass Painting Foundation, Mönchengladbach. Link: http://www.glasmalerei-ev.net/pages/b31/b31.shtml
27. ^ Rheinische Post (Mönchengladbach edition) of March 18, 2014: Stories about Benedict and Easter . By Dirk Richerdt.
28. ↑ To the Rieger organ
29. ↑ ^{a b c d} Norbert Jachtmann: Bells ringing in the Mönchengladbach region (PDF) ( Memento of the original from January 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Pp. 69-75. 
30. ↑ Jakob Schaeben, Sound assessment of the bells , Euskirchen near Cologne (1905–1980). In: Norbert Jachtmann: Bells ringing in the Mönchengladbach region (PDF) ( Memento of the original from January 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . P. 76f. 
31. ↑ CJ Lelotte: The sanctuary of the Münsterkirche zu M. Gladbach: in memory of the public veneration of the hh from August 9th to 18th, 1874. Relics . 1874 digitized version of the ULB Düsseldorf
32. ↑ http://www.limburg-bernd.de/Moenchenglb/Mgl.htm

Coordinates: 51 ° 11 ′ 32.8 "  N , 6 ° 25 ′ 53.6"  E