Godfried Richardi

Godfried Richardi OSB (* 1629 in Oberberndorf ; † April 9, 1682 in Grafschaft ) was abbot in the Grafschaft monastery in Schmallenberg from April 22, 1671 to April 9, 1682 .

Life

Godfried Richardi was born in 1629 in Oberberndorf in the Berghausen parish as the son of Anton Richard the Younger and his wife Anna Gertrud König, known as Gnacke. He had several siblings. After studying theology and philosophy at the Jesuit College in Münster , he joined the Benedictine Order in 1649 . Following the novitiate year, Richardi went to Cologne to refresh his knowledge of theology and philosophy. Because of his good performance, he took up the post of lecturer at Brauweiler Abbey just a year later . Shortly afterwards he took over the same office until he was elected abbot in the Grafschaft monastery.

On April 22nd, 1671 he was elected abbot and then consecrated in Neuhaus by the Paderborn bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg . During his tenure, he settled several problems and took on additional tasks.

In 1673 there was a dispute between the abbot and the citizens of Schmallenberg about the occupation of the pastorate and pastoral property outside the city. After the dispute could not be settled amicably, the abbot turned to Archbishop Max Heinrich . The archbishop then transferred the regulatory rights to Baron Johann Adolf von Fürstenberg . He sent an ensign with 35 soldiers to Schmallenberg. After their intervention, two petitioners from the city council handed over the keys of the Schmallenberg church to the pastor appointed by the abbot. A pending process at the official court in Werl about the incorporation of the parish was later decided in favor of the monastery. In 1679 there was another conflict with the city over border rights which was subsequently decided by the court in Oberkirchen in favor of the monastery.

In 1676, Abbot Richardi was appointed as the visitor to the monasteries of Liesborn and Ibug for the first time on the annual capital of the Bursfeld congregation . During a visit to the Grafschafter monastery in 1677, the visiting visitors complained about the manual work carried out by monastery brothers during harvest time. At the following annual chapter of the Congregation, Abbot Richardi objected to such an interpretation of the holy statutes by the visitors.

In February 1678 there was an unusual death in the monastery. A 30-year-old healthy monk suddenly died of a coughing fit in the presence of the entire convert. The Bishop of Paderborn Ferdinand von Fürstenberg and a retinue of several nobles took this incident as an opportunity to visit the monastery for the third time. However, the bishop was unable to shed light on the bereavement.

On March 12, 1680, the abbot gave a speech in the Maria Laach monastery at the annual chapter of the congregation about the attempt to achieve uniform observance in matters of worship and the rules. At the same time he visited the nunneries of the city of Münster on behalf of the Bursfeld Congregation . During this time, the abbot also made special efforts to protect the Abdinghof monastery . Discrepancies had arisen in Abdinghof Abbey. Abbot Richardi helped to restore the monastery peace by making visitations and holding elections.

In the chronicle of the monastery Grafschaft "Monumenta Monasterii Grafschaftensis" Abbot Richardi was described as a physically large person with an excellent mind and very good eloquence. The humble and ascetic Richardi carried out his offices to the fullest satisfaction and to all admiration.

Godfried Richardi died in Grafschaft on April 9, 1682. He was succeeded by Abbot Emericus Quincken .

literature

• Monumenta Monasterii Grafschaftensis. Memories from the history of the county monastery. Translation from the Latin by Manfred Wolf, Münster, published by the savings and loan association Schmallenberg, 1975.

predecessor	Office	successor
Johannes Worth	Abbot of the Grafschaft monastery 1671–1682	Emericus Quincken