Johannes V. Dressel

The epitaph of Johannes V. Dressel

Johannes V. Dressel (also Johann Dressel ; * in Hollfeld ; † April 16, 1637 in Ebrach ) was abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Ebrach from 1618 to 1637 .

Life

Abbot and Vicar General

Johannes Dressel was born, probably towards the end of the 16th century, in Hollfeld near Bamberg in what is now Upper Franconia . The sources are silent about the family of the young Johannes, and the education of the future abbot is not known. Only in the Ebrach monastery does it become tangible again. Johannes Dressel held the office of subprior before his election and later rose to prior , deputy to the abbot.

After the death of his predecessor Kaspar Brack in the spring of 1618, the priest Johannes was elected the thirty-eighth abbot Johannes V. He was quickly appointed vicar general for the Franconian Cistercian monastery by Abbot General Nicolas II Boucherat . At the same time, Dressel began to build many buildings in the monastery villages. So he rebuilt the Ebracher Hof in Mainstockheim , as well as renewed the farm in Rödelsee . In addition, the Magdalenenkappel near Büchelberg was built by Johannes V.

In addition, Johannes Dressel acquired some goods for his monastery, including Koppenwind Castle from the Lords of Rotenhan. He had the Bernhard altar built for the monastery church. Johannes Dressel was in close contact with Emperor Ferdinand II. The Emperor appointed him, together with the Bishop of Bamberg and some imperial counts, as commissioner who was responsible for the recovery of the goods that the Lutherans had taken from the Catholic Church.

Johannes Dressel began his work with the Grünau Charterhouse , which he was able to return to the Carthusian Order. Now it was planned to win back the former Premonstratensian Abbey Schäftersheim for the order and to hand over the parish church of St. Johannis in Schweinfurt to the Würzburg collegiate monastery Haug. However, the plans never came to fruition, as the Protestant Swedes occupied the capital of the Würzburg monastery in 1631.

Swedish times and exile

The abbot then submitted to the new rulers to prevent damage to the monastery. In this way he achieved that the abbey was initially placed under Swedish protection. But he had the monastery treasure brought to the Ebracher Hof in Würzburg , where it was discovered and stolen. In the winter of 1631 the Swedish Wetzhausen regiment moved into quarters in the monastery and demanded a large sum from the abbot. When Johannes Dressel was unable to pay despite several negotiations, he went to the head of the regiment in Schweinfurt .

Here the citizens of the city took the abbot prisoner and demanded that he cede the Weier monastery and the Ebracher Hof to the city. In the meantime, some peasants under the little peasant in the Steigerwald fought against the Swedes and managed to liberate the monastery for a short time. After its early suppression, Johannes Dressel was made responsible for the destruction of the rebellious farmers, and the city of Schweinfurt was given the Weyer office.

The Swedes appointed Mr. von Künsberg, a separate administrator for the monastery. Now Johannes Dressel fled to the sister monastery Himmerod in the Eiffel. He was arrested in Mainz in order to obtain the missing monastery documents, but could not find anything with the abbot. Dressel traveled from Himmerod to Koblenz , later Cologne, and only returned after the end of Swedish rule in Franconia in 1636. The convent was impoverished when he returned. Abbot Johannes V. Dressel died on April 5, 1637.

coat of arms

The personal coat of arms of Johannes Dressel has come down to us from a description of the coat of arms from the 1970s. The coat of arms described was on the epitaph in the monastery church and is illegible today. In addition, it was attached to the Ebracher Hof in Mainstockheim. Description : Three flowers wrapped in a wreath. The tinging of the coat of arms is unclear.

literature

• Adelhard Kaspar: Chronicle of the Ebrach Abbey . Münsterschwarzach 1971.
• Brigitte Schröder: Main Franconian monastery heraldry. The monasteries and monasteries with coats of arms in the old diocese of Würzburg. (= Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg, vol. 24) Würzburg 1971.
• Josef Wirth: The Ebrach Abbey. To commemorate eight hundred years. 1127-1927 . Gerolzhofen 1928.

Web links

Commons : Johannes V. Dressel  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ While Kaspar (p. 158) assumes April 16, Wirth (p. 40) mentions April 5, 1637.
2. ↑ Wirth, Josef: The Ebrach Abbey . P. 30.
3. ↑ Wirth, Josef: The Ebrach Abbey . P. 35.
4. ↑ Kaspar, Adelhard: Chronicle of the Ebrach Abbey . P. 158.
5. ^ Schröder, Brigitte: Mainfränkische Klosterheraldik . P. 127.

predecessor	Office	successor
Kaspar Brack	Abbot of Ebrach 1618–1637	John VI Pfister