Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder

Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder († April 22, 1444 in Murrhardt ) was a Catholic priest , Benedictine and abbot of the St. Januarius monastery in Murrhardt.

Live and act

Johannes came from the noble family of the Lords of Leuzenbronn near Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

After the death of his predecessor, Heinrich von Enslingen , the elder Johannes was appointed abbot by the monks of the Murrhardt monastery in the course of 1406.

Already at this time Johannes von Leuzenbronn enjoyed the reputation of an excellent financial expert and skilful negotiator, as is also impressively confirmed by contemporary documents. Under his leadership, the Murrhardt monastery was able to drastically increase its income and expand its properties through clever acquisitions, for example a farm in Oßweil and the hamlet of Vorderwestermurr, which was acquired by the Counts of Löwenstein .

Coat of arms stone of Abbot Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder and the Württemberg Bailiff with the year 1434

The good repute he had acquired as abbot of the Murrhardt Monastery was certainly the main reason why Johannes von Leuzenbronn was appointed to the Council of Constance for the year 1417 as one of 126 representatives of the monasteries . During the deliberations, which took place from February 28 to March 19, 1417 in the Petershausen Monastery , Abbot Johannes was received by the newly elected Pope Martin V ; On this occasion, the Murrhardt Abbot had the Holy See reaffirmed the founding privileges of the monastery.

The excellent economic situation of the abbey allowed Abbot Johannes and his monks to implement the plan for a comprehensive renovation of the monastery church. In a construction phase lasting from 1424 to around 1451, the Romanesque west tower was demolished and the crossing and the western choir rebuilt. Originally, the plans provided for the construction of a single-nave church complex - but later the monastic builders decided to equip the church with side aisles. When the crossing was completed in 1434, Johannes von Leuzenbronn had his coat of arms attached to a crossing pillar, together with that of the Württemberg guardians , where it is still located today.

Abbot Johannes could no longer witness the completion of the renovation work - Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder died on April 22, 1444 in the Murrhardt Monastery and was buried in the completed choir of the monastery church. His successor as abbot was another representative of his house, Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Younger .

Others

With a term of office of almost 38 years, Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder was one of the longest ruling abbots of the Murrhardt Monastery.

literature

• Gerhard Fritz: City and monastery Murrhardt in the late Middle Ages and in the Reformation period (= research from Württemberg-Franconia. Vol. 34). Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1990, ISBN 3-7995-7634-7 , pp. 333-335.

predecessor	Office	successor
Heinrich von Enslingen	Abbot of Murrhardt 1406–1444	Johannes von Leuzenbronn the Elder J.