Gozbert (St. Gallen)

The St. Gallen monastery plan, which shows an ideal monastery around 800

Gozbert († April 4, 850 (?) In Rheinau ) was abbot of the monastery of St. Gallen from 816 to 837 and then with an unknown date until 850 abbot in the monastery of Rheinau .

Live and act

Gozbert is documented as a monk of St. Gallen in 798 as a deacon, 811 as a priest and between 813 and 816 as dean. In 816 he was elected abbot. He succeeded in loosening the dependence on the Diocese of Constance , to which the village of St. Gallen belonged at the time. On June 3, 818, he received an immunity privilege from Emperor Ludwig the Pious , which was later confirmed by Ludwig the German . He was also assured of the free election of abbot in the monastery, a privilege that had cost the St. Gallen monastery founder Otmar's freedom less than a hundred years earlier.

Gozbert concentrated on expanding the monastery property. His acquisitions and the donations he received were an important basis for the future prince abbey. Gozbert centralized the administration of the monastery property and reformed the document system, because the profession of document writer was seen as a stepping stone to a better position in the monastery. Under Gozbert's reign, St. Gallen became a cultural center, as many documents from his time attest. The Abbey Library , he also devoted special attention.

Gozbert was the recipient (and client?) Of the St. Gallen monastery plan , which was created around 820 in Reichenau . However, it is unknown how closely his monastery actually leaned on this ideal plan. It is known that he began building the new Gallus basilica in 830, which was consecrated after 835 in the presence of Bishops Ulrich I of Basel , Wolfleoz of Constance and Erlebald von Reichenau .

In 837 Gozbert resigned from his office. Possibly this happened due to political uncertainties that the monastery got into when the sons of Louis the Pious fought for his successor.

The following career path is named in the literature:

“As the first abbot we met [in Rheinau Monastery ] around the middle of the 9th century, Gozbert, who was appointed by Wolfene from St. Gallen, followed by Antwart, Wolfen, who restored the monastery († 878), and Wichram; ... "

Gozbert's exact year of death is not known. It is possible that he died in connection with the assumption of office of his successor Anwarth in Rheinau in 850.

literature

Johannes fragrance : Gozbert. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Gozbert , in: Helvetia Sacra III / 1/2 (1986), p. 1272 f.
Johannes fragrance: Gozbert (Cozpert). In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 692 ( digitized version ).
Gerold Meyer von Knonau : Gozbert, Abbot of St. Gallen . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 9, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1879, p. 523.

Web links

Abbot Gozbert (816-837). Quoted from Johannes Duft, in the Stadtlexikon der Stadt Wil

Individual proof

^ Josef Sauer: The beginnings of Christianity and the church in Baden. New Year's Sheets of the Historical Commission, New Series 14. Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1911, p. 67.

predecessor	Office	successor
Wolfleoz	Abbot of St. Gallen 816–837	Bernwig

personal data
SURNAME	Gozbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Dept
DATE OF BIRTH	8th century
DATE OF DEATH	April 4 after 837
Place of death	St. Gallen

[1] Josef Sauer: The beginnings of Christianity and the church in Baden. New Year's Sheets of the Historical Commission, New Series 14. Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1911, p. 67.