Palatinate and Memleben Monastery

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Memleben monastery church

The Palatinate Memleben was an important Palatinate in the 10th century under the East Franconian kings Heinrich I and his son Otto I , who both also died here. It was in or near Memleben in the western Burgenland district not far from Nebra in the Thuringian part of Saxony-Anhalt . Their exact location is the subject of much scientific debate. Today, the Palatinate is mainly assumed to be at Wendelstein Castle , but the Altenburg in Wangen is also being considered. Before or in 979 Otto II founded a Benedictine monastery not far from the Palatinate , the impressive remains of which still characterize the townscape today.

history

The place Mimileba before the Palatinate was founded

The Palatinate was in the vicinity of a settlement which is already mentioned in the Breviarium Sancti Lulli as in Mimilebo and which was owned by the Hersfeld Monastery . In the Hersfeld tithe directory , the place Mimileba is mentioned together with a number of other places on the north bank of the Unstrut, such as Uuangun ( Wangen ). Therefore, Mimileba is predominantly not identified with today's village south of the Unstrut, but with the deserted Klein- or Wenigen-Memleben on the other side of the river.

Nothing is known about the founding of the Palatinate in Memleben and the location. However, the Palatinate was able to accommodate and provide for rulers and their entourage. There is evidence that several Ottonian rulers stayed in Memleben between 936 and 994. Due to a notarization of Konrad II in 1033 in Memleben, it is assumed that there is a royal court there and that there is still royal property in the area.

Place of death of King Henry I

Memleben became a place of outstanding historical importance through the death of Heinrich I. The king fell seriously ill while hunting in the Bodfeld farm near Elbingerode in the Harz Mountains . He probably had a stroke . He traveled to Memleben via Erfurt, where he settled his succession at an imperial assembly, and died here on July 2, 936, probably of another stroke. Liutprand von Cremona reports: At this time King Heinrich was attacked by a serious illness in a castle on the border of the Thuringians and Saxons called Memleben (dicitur Himenleve) and went to the Lord . Heinrich's body was transferred to Quedlinburg and buried in the previous building of the St. Servatius collegiate church.

Stays and place of death of King Otto I.

His son and successor Otto I stayed at least four times in the Palatinate Memleben and issued several documents here in the years 942, 948/49, 950 and 956. It is noticeable, however, that Otto did not spend any major church holidays here, nor did he hold any court or imperial diets. In addition, parts of the property complex around Memleben were given to spiritual institutions, such as the Zeitz diocese . It was not until 976/77 that the transfer of two churches in Imilebe , which was very likely to Otto I, was notarized.

In 973, Emperor Otto the Great apparently planned to spend Pentecost in Memleben and arrived here on the Tuesday before Pentecost. It is possible that he had foreseen his imminent death and consciously went to the place where his father died. Both Widukind von Corvey and Thietmar von Merseburg report on the circumstances of his death on May 7, 973 . His body was accordingly transferred to Magdeburg and buried there in the church under today's Magdeburg Cathedral next to the grave of his wife Edgitha, who died early . His entrails remained in Memleben, in accordance with the medieval custom during an overpass, and were buried in a non-localizable St. Mary's Church the night after his death.

Memorial site and founding of a monastery under Otto II.

After Otto's son Otto II had already been in Memleben when his father died, he also issued certificates here in 974, 975 and 980.

At the beginning of 979 at the latest, he and his wife Theophanu founded a Benedictine monastery in memory of his father and equipped it with numerous donations from localities and the righteous in what is now Thuringia , Saxony-Anhalt , Saxony , Brandenburg and Hesse . So he had a certificate issued in Allstedt on May 20, 979 , in which he signed over to the Memleben monastery the chapels in the towns of Allstedt, Osterhausen and Riestedt that had previously belonged to the Hersfeld monastery and were acquired in exchange . In addition, Memleben received the tithe in Friesenfeld and Hassegau . Probably in the same context, he gave to the monastery in the land of Hevelli in the Havel lies castles Nieenburg, Dubie et Briechouua with the Castle Warden and all the accessories, although the document in question was issued until the 981st This also applies to the castles and Burgwarde Döbeln , Hwoznie (probably Ziegra-Knobelsdorf ), Pretzsch (Elbe) , Klöden and Wozgrinie (unknown) as well as Elsnig , Dommitzsch and Zwethau . A concentration of ownership in the area of ​​the middle Elbe , which was conquered under Heinrich I and which was more closely integrated into the East Franconian Empire at that time , becomes clear . The Memleben monastery should certainly also promote the mission in the Slavic settlement areas. However, a number of possessions north and east of the Elbe were lost again with the revolt of the Slavic Liutizen and Abodriten in 983.

The further expansion under Otto III.

Like his ancestors, Otto III. several times the royal court in Memleben, about 987 and 994. On October 4, 991 he confirmed an exchange deal concluded between Empress Adelheid and Abbot Vunninger von Memleben, on November 30, 998 he gave the monastery the civitas Uuihi , the castle and Herrschaft Wiehe , in Wiehegau and several surrounding villages and on January 2, 994, in a certificate issued in Allstedt, he even granted the abbot Reginolt and the monks market , coin and customs rights as well as the ban .

The decline under Henry II.

On November 16, 1002, the year he took office, his successor Heinrich II confirmed to Abbot Reinhold the goods and privileges guaranteed by his predecessors, such as immunity, in his residence in Regensburg, the monastery with the three most important monasteries in eastern France, Fulda, Corvey and Reichenau , legally equated and given him the free choice of abbot and bailiff. In 1015, however, he withdrew all rights from the monastery and made it subordinate to the Hersfeld monastery as a provost. In return, Heinrich II received goods for the newly founded diocese of Bamberg .

In 1033 a Roman-German king stayed with Konrad II for the last time in Memleben and issued a certificate in provintia Turingia apud regalem curtem Imileb .

The monastery buildings in the early modern period

During the Peasants' War the monastery was plundered by rebellious peasants in 1525 and finally closed in 1548 after increasing decline as a result of the Reformation. In 1551 the associated goods were confiscated by the Saxon Elector and given to the Pforta State School , which had recently been founded . She kept them until the end of the Second World War . In 1722 lightning destroyed the roof of the old monastery church. Years later, the church began to be demolished.

The Palatinate in Memleben

Until well into the 20th century, the remains of the monastery church were used as palace buildings. The name castellum in the report of the Liutprand of Cremona on the death of Henry I suggests that a fortified complex already existed at the beginning of the 10th century. The location is still unknown today. The Palatinate is partly assumed to be at Wendelstein Castle , but Altenburg in Wangen is also being considered as a location.

The monastery church

Imperial gate of the former Marienkirche from the 10th century.

From the monumental church of the 10th century there are still some parts of the wall such as the southwest transept, the southern nave wall and a not inconsiderable part of the southwest crossing pillar. It is a double choir of immense dimensions (length 82 meters, width 39.5 meters). The floor plan has been archaeologically secured and is presented by paving.

Construction of a new, smaller monastery complex began in the 12th century. Of the monastery church, which was completed in the first half of the 13th century, the late Romanesque crypt is particularly noteworthy. It is the only room in the monastery that has been preserved in its original state. The early Gothic central nave arcades of the church shape the Romanesque character of the entire complex. Life-size silhouettes can be seen on the pillars in the nave.

  • Monastery church 1729

  • Monastery church historical reconstruction 1837

  • Ruin of the monastery church from the south 1820

  • Ruins of the monastery church from the east in 1820

  • Crypt of the monastery church from the south 1830

  • Monastery church inside 1840

  • Monastery church floor plan from 1867

  • Crypt of the monastery church facing east 2014

Todays use

The entire facility is used as the "Museum Kloster und Kaiserpfalz Memleben". A modeled medieval monastery garden as well as numerous exhibition areas that fill the former cloister building give visitors a picture of the importance of the town of Memleben and explain aspects from the construction history of the monastery to Benedictine monastery life in the Middle Ages and medieval book production in a so-called scriptorium. Guided tours, educational museum events and cultural events enliven the former Benedictine monastery.

The municipality of Memleben was awarded a special prize worth over 10,000 euros for the further development of the Museum Kloster und Kaiserpfalz Memleben by the Saxony-Anhalt Minister of Economics in 2007 as part of the Romanesque Prize. To justify the award, it was said that the commitment of the community, the administrative community and the support association had created two permanent exhibitions, a monastery shop and the educational museum offering "Living Monastery". The monastery is a station on the Romanesque Road .

Since October 2008, the remains of the Memleben monastery have belonged to the Memleben Monastery and Imperial Palatinate Foundation, a municipal foundation that received additional donations from the State of Saxony-Anhalt.

After around 500 years, Benedictine monks again moved into the Memleben monastery for a week in August 2011. These came from the Benedictine abbey of Münsterschwarzach . As part of the “Lively Monastery” program, visitors were able to attend prayers in the crypt, take part in thematic discussions or copy the Benedictine rule in the scriptorium under the guidance of the monks. The museum educational events during this week were also accompanied by the monks. A continuation also took place in 2012 and 2013.

In 2011 the monastery was the setting for the German fairy tale film Jorinde and Joringel by Bodo Fürneisen .

  • South side of the monastery church ruins

  • Ruins of the monastery church from the east

  • Monk's house on the east side of the monastery courtyard

  • crypt

literature

  • Johann Martin Schamelius: Historical description of the Benedictine monastery Memleben , 1729.
  • Georg Christoph Kreysig : Diplomatic contribution to the history of the Memleben monastery , in: Contributions to the history of their Chur and Princely Saxon Lands , 1755, 2nd volume
  • August Benedict Wilhelm: History of the Memleben monastery in Thuringia , 1st department 1827.
  • Matthias Untermann : Memleben and Cologne . In: form and style. Festschrift for Günter Binding on his 65th birthday, ed. v. Stefanie Lieb . Darmstadt 2001, pp. 45-55.
  • Helge Wittmann (Ed.): Memleben: Königspfalz - Reichskloster - Probstei. Imhof Petersberg 2001, ISBN 3-932526-92-9 .
  • Ernst Schubert: The Ottonian Church in Memleben. Lecture . In: Sachsen and Anhalt 24, 2002/03, ISSN  0945-2842 , pp. 17–35.
  • Ernst Schubert : On the dating of the Ottonian church in Memleben. In: Hans-Joachim Krause (Ed.): Dies diem docet. Selected essays on medieval art and history in Central Germany. Ceremony for the 75th birthday of Ernst Schubert. (Sources and research on the history of Saxony-Anhalt 3). Böhlau, Cologne a. a. 2003, ISBN 3-412-04502-0 , pp. 100-116.
  • Reinhard Schmitt : The two monasteries in Memleben (sacred buildings 1). 2nd, change Edition 2006, Stekovics, Dössel 2006, ISBN 978-3-89923-120-5 .
  • Reinhard Schmitt: Memleben (Burgenland district) . In: The Ottonen: Art - Architecture - History , ed. by Klaus Gereon Beuckers et al. 2nd edition (1st edition 2001) Petersberg 2006, ISBN 3-932526-91-0 .
  • Uwe Fiedler: The Altenburg near Groß-Wangen, Burgenlandkreis - the Liudolfingische Palatinate Memleben? . In: Castles and Palaces in Saxony-Anhalt 17, 2008, ISSN  0944-4157 , pp. 7–37.
  • Exhibition Guide: Knowledge and Power - Saint Benedict and the Ottonians. Special exhibition from May 7 to October 15, 2018 in the Memleben monastery, Michael Imhof Verlag 2018, ISBN 978-3-7319-0720-6 .
  • see also the entries in the OPAC of the Regesta Imperii : http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang_de/suche.php?ts=Memleben

Web links

Commons : Kloster Memleben  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 15 '59.1 "  N , 11 ° 29' 50.8"  E

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eo in tempore rex Heinricus in castello, quod est in Turingiorum et Saxonum confinio et dicitur Himénleve, gravissima valetudine correptus migravit ad Dominum. Liudprand IV 15, MGH Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 41, Hanover 1915, p. 112.Digitalized: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000743/images/index.html?id= 00000743 & nativeno = 112 .
  2. ^ "Post innumera virtutum insignia idem, decurso vitae suimet stadio, sextodecimo regni, aetatis autem suae sexagesimo anno, sexta Non. Iulii Miminlevo moritur, et in Quidilingaburch, quam ipse a fundamento construxit, sepultus, an cunctis optimatibus merito defletur. “Thietmar I 10. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000870/images/index. html? id = 00000870 & nativeno = 740 . "When, after countless proofs of his noble nature, he had measured his life, he died in the 16th year of his kingship, in the 60th of his life, on July 2nd in Memleben; rightly deeply mourned by all princes, he was in Quedlinburg, he himself created from the ground up, buried ". German Translation: Thietmar von Merseburg. Timeline. Retransmitted and explained by Werner Trillmich. Selected sources on German history in the Middle Ages. Freiherr vom Stein memorial edition 96. Darmstadt 1985, p. 22.
  3. ↑ MGH DD OI 48. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000442/images/index.html?id=00000442&seite=155
  4. ↑ MGH DD OI 113. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000442/images/index.html?id=00000442&nativeno=196
  5. ↑ MGH DD OI 130. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000442/images/index.html?id=00000442&seite=233
  6. ↑ MGH DD OI 178. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000442/images/index.html?id=00000442&nativeno=269
  7. ^ Hardt 2001
  8. ↑ MGH DD OII 139. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=159
  9. ↑ For example Johannes Laudage: Otto der Grosse (912-973). A biography . 2nd edition. Pustet, Regensburg 2006, ISBN 3-7917-1750-2 , p. 294. According to Stephan Freund (Saxony and the Empire on the death anniversary of Otto the Great, in: Memleben: Königspfalz - Reichskloster - Propstei , ed. Helge Wittmann, Petersberg 2001, p. 10), however, the death came as a surprise and the same place of death was only due to chance.
  10. ↑ Widukind III, 76th digitized version .: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000870/images/index.html?id=00000870&nativeno=466
  11. ↑ Exin 3rd feria ante pentecosten ad Miminlevo veniens, postera die ad mensam laetus sedebat. ... Quem qui astabant proxime suscipientes deposuerunt; refocilatusque divino celeriter viatico, orantibus pro eius exitu cunctis, debitum persolvit natuerae 38th ordinationis suae anno Nonis May., 4th feria. Sequenti vero nocte viscera eius soluta in ecclesia sancte Mariae sunt tumulata; corpus autem eiusdem aromatibus conditum ad Parthenopolim translatum est, ibique honorabiliter atque lacrimabiliter succeptum, marmoreoque inpositum sarcophago, sepultum est ... Thietmar II, 27. Digitized: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000870/images/ index.html? id = 00000870 & nativeno = 757 . Dts. Translation ibid. "The following night his entrails were buried separately in St. Mary's Church. His corpse, prepared with spices, however, was transferred to Magdeburg, where it was received with great honor in deep mourning and placed in a marble sarcophagus ..."
  12. ↑ MGH DD OII 87. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&nativeno=102
  13. ↑ MGH DD OII 110. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=126  ; MGH DD OII 120. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=136
  14. ↑ MGH DD OII 213. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&nativeno=241
  15. ↑ MGH DD Otto II. 191. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=220 .
  16. ↑ MGH DD Otto II. 194. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&no=1&seite=224 .
  17. ↑ MGH DD Otto II. 195. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&no=1&seite=225 .
  18. ↑ MGH DD Otto II. 196. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&no=1&seite=226 .
  19. ↑ MGH DD OIII 39. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&nativeno=438
  20. ↑ MGH DD OIII 151. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=587
  21. ↑ MGH DD OIII 75. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=508
  22. ↑ MGH DD OIII 305. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=758 .
  23. ↑ MGH DD OIII 142. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000443/images/index.html?id=00000443&seite=578
  24. ↑ MGH DD HII 25th digital copy : http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000444/images/index.html?id=00000444&seite=58 .
  25. ↑ MGH DD HII 321. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000444/images/index.html?id=00000444&seite=448 .
  26. ↑ MGH DD Konrad II. 196. Digital copy: http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00000448/images/index.html?id=00000448&nativeno=261
  27. ^ Matthias Hardt: Memleben - A royal abode, in: Memleben; Königspfalz - Imperial Monastery - Propstei , ed. v. Helge Wittmann. Petersberg 2001, pp. 61-77, here pp. 64-72.
  28. ↑ Making of… Jorinde and Joringel on rbb-online.de , accessed on December 10, 2011.