Jerome II hero

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The portrait of Abbot Jerome II. Hero

Hieronymus II. Held (baptized name Johann Franz Balthasar Held ; * February 2, 1694 in Gerolzhofen , † October 20, 1773 in Ebrach ) was abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Ebrach from 1741 to 1773 .

Life

Youth and taking office

Hieronymus II. Held was born on February 2, 1694 as Johann Franz Balthasar Held in Gerolzhofen in Lower Franconia . Nothing is known about the family of the future abbot, nor is the education of the hero mentioned in the sources. Under Abbot Wilhelm I. Sölner , his predecessor, Held entered Ebrach Abbey as Hieronymus Held . This was followed by a rapid ascent to ordained monk and priest until 1741.

Hieronymus Held traveled to Rome on behalf of his abbot to meet with the court advocate of Pope Clement XII. , Cucuwill, to negotiate the recognition of the work "Brevis Notitia" (Latin: short description) by the Vatican. Held succeeded in getting the writing of his abbot Wilhelm I, which had caused tensions with the Duchy of Würzburg , recognized. After Wilhelm's death, Hieronymus Held was elected the forty-seventh abbot of Ebrach on May 16, 1741.

Furthermore, Held was concerned about a good relationship with the Würzburg monastery and received support from Bishop Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim himself, who also wanted to end the disputes. Jerome therefore had the reprint of the “Brevis Notitia” prohibited as one of his first official acts. At the same time, he had the inhabitants of the monastery villages pay homage, and all male residents had to swear an oath of loyalty.

Buildings and war

Just two years after taking office, in 1743, the Abbot General of the Cistercian Order Andoche Pernot des Crots appointed him Vicar General for Franconia. Several buildings were built under Abbot Held within his domain. The new building of the Amtshof in Koppenwind goes back to him, as well as the Neue Ebracher Hof in nearby Bamberg and the stucco decoration of the church in Burgwindheim. In Ebrach itself, the so-called watch tower was built, and a monk choir grille was made for the monastery church.

The monastery garden is decorated with sculptures by Jakob van der Auwera , in particular the group of figures of " Hercules and Antaeus" have survived to this day. New buildings were also built for the monastery itself when construction began on the so-called orangery. In 1756 the Seven Years War began , which was soon to reach the abbey: The Prussians occupied the Bamberg region and the abbot first had the monastery treasure brought to a safe place.

Nevertheless, there were billets and war contributions were demanded. In addition to the Prussians , Austrian troops also attacked the monastery, so that a total of 300,000 guilders had to be paid. After the war, Held first set about establishing a doctor in the abbey. He was supposed to prevent the epidemics that often followed the billeted troops. A pharmacy was also set up in the monastery.

Abbot Hieronymus Held attended the General Chapter of the Order in the mother monastery of Cîteaux in France in 1765 and 1766 . During his reign a total of 58 novices were accepted into the Ebrach monastery. Abbot Jerome's gout began to break out as early as 1772 and drew the abbot in the last year of his life. He died on October 20, 1773 around 4 p.m. and was buried in the cross chapel of the monastery church.

coat of arms

The coat of arms on the pulpit in Burgwindheim

Due to the abbot's lively building activity, his personal coat of arms can often be found in the former villages of the monastic property. Among other things, it was attached to the pulpit in the Burgwindheimer Jakobskirche and in the stucco decoration of the church. It can also be found at the former Gasthof zum Adler in Sulzheim, the New Ebracher Hof in Bamberg and in the choir lattice of the Ebracher Abbey Church. Description : A growing, armed man; in the right hand a raised sword, in the left a shield with a cross; a bird flies over it.

Several versions of the coat of arms have survived, so that the tinging is also unclear. In Burgwindheim and Ebrach the man is depicted in gold on a silver background, while in Sulzheim a silver man can be seen on a blue background. It is a speaking coat of arms that refers to the abbot's last name.

literature

  • Adelhard Kaspar: Chronicle of the Ebrach Abbey . Münsterschwarzach 1971.
  • Josef Wirth: The Ebrach Abbey. To commemorate eight hundred years. 1127-1927 . Gerolzhofen 1928.

Web links

Commons : Hieronymus II. Hero  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Wirth, Josef: The Ebrach Abbey . P. 116.
  2. Kaspar, Adelhard: Chronicle of the Ebrach Abbey . P. 173.
  3. Wirth, Josef: The Ebrach Abbey . P. 121.
predecessor Office successor
Wilhelm I. Solner Abbot of Ebrach
1741–1773
Wilhelm II. Roßhirt