Carmelite Monastery Jena
The Monastery of the Holy Cross was a convent of the Carmelites in Jena in Thuringia from 15th to the 16th centuries.
location
The monastery was located at the Church of the Holy Cross in the settlement Zweifelbach south of the medieval city of Jena. The system has been preserved in small parts.
history
Already in 1382 there was a Terminei the Carmelites from Pößneck in Jena. In 1414 the Provincial of the Order reported that he had received a piece of land in Jena for the establishment of a monastery. A document has been preserved from 1418 in which the Jena City Council grants the Carmelites a plot of land in Doubtbach, as well as the use of the Holy Cross Church. The Margraves Friedrich and Wilhelm von Meißen supported the founding of the monastery, for which they were accepted into a brotherhood of the order that year. The monastery was the third in the city alongside those of the Dominicans and Cistercians. In the early years the construction work seems to have progressed slowly, in later times the monastery could well exist from donations and property.
In 1524, the city council brought the majority of the property, as well as around 80 chasubles, almost all of the bar property, as well as household items such as tables and bedding, to the town hall and sold it. The proceeds were given to the poor people of the city. In 1525 the monastery was looted and damaged during the Peasants' War. After that nine monks lived there, and in 1529 the monastery was probably closed.
After that the facility fell into disrepair and was partially used as building material.
Structures
The convent was headed by a prior who was also a reading master in the 15th century. According to the ideals of the order, the monastery was particularly oriented towards education, as evidenced by school and student masters, as well as a library that was partially preserved after the dissolution. In addition, a chaplain, a preacher and a sexton were named as job titles.
economy
The monastery received numerous foundations and gifts, especially for soul masses. It also owned little land, including some vineyards. Beer was also brewed, in smaller quantities, mainly for personal use. The stolen property, inventoried in 1524, indicates a certain level of prosperity.
literature
- Matthias Rupp: The Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross in the Jena suburb of Zweifelbach. (= Documentation Volume 9.) Städtische Museen Jena 2002, ISBN 3-930128-53-5
- Ulf Häder, Matthias Rupp: The Carmelite Monastery in Jena. Adoration of the Virgin Mary and Luther edition. Jena Culture and Municipal Museums Jena 2017, ISBN 978-3-942176-46-0
- Matthias Rupp: Archaeological investigations in the former Carmelite monastery of the Holy Cross in Jena. In: Old Thuringia . Volume 34, 2001. pp. 246-283. (pdf)