Bellelay Monastery

Former Premonstratensian Abbey of Bellelay

Aerial 1953

The Bellelay Monastery is a former Premonstratensian abbey in the village of Bellelay in the Bernese Jura , which today serves as a psychiatric clinic . Until 1798, the monastery formed an autonomous rule within the Principality of Basel and was under the protection of the federal cantons of Bern, Solothurn and the city of Biel as patronage .

Founding legend

Legend has it that the monastery was founded in 1136 by Siginand, a provost of Moutier-Grandval Abbey . This followed a boar on the hunt through the forests of the Jura. When he finally killed it, he could not find his way out of the former wilderness of the Upper Jurassic. He is said to have made a vow to found a monastery if he returned safely to Moutier. After four days he found his way back there and founded the monastery, which he named Bellelay ( belle laie means beautiful pig ).

history

Historical view of Bellelay Monastery from June 1755

The coat of arms of Bellelay Abbey showed the black letter B on a silver background.

The Bellelay Monastery was probably built on the initiative of Bishop Adalbero III. Founded by Basel on the southwest border of the diocese and removed from the property of the Moutier-Grandval Abbey. The Premonstratensian monastery was first mentioned in writing in 1142. There are numerous spellings from the early days of the monastery: Balelaia , Belelagia , Belelai , Belilaia , Bellale , Bella Lagia , Bellelagia and Bellilagia . The name is derived from the vulgar Latin bella lagia ("beautiful forest").

The monastery had widely scattered property and was the mother monastery of the Grandgourt Priory , the Gottstatt Monastery and the Himmelspforte Abbey near Grenzach-Wyhlen in Baden-Württemberg .

Bellelay was under the sovereignty of the Principality of Basel , but concluded castle rights treaties with Bern and Solothurn (1414 at the latest) and with Biel (1516). The contracts with Solothurn were regularly renewed until the French Revolution, which is why the monastery was included in the federal part of the Principality of Basel.

The abbot exercised lower jurisdiction over the place Bellelay and the surrounding area, the so-called Courtine de Bellelay , in both secular and ecclesiastical matters. At the Council of Constance in 1414 the abbot received the right to wear the ring, miter and cross, symbols of ecclesiastical and secular rule. During the Swabian War in 1499, the monastery buildings were sacked. Due to its contract with Solothurn, the monastery was spared the effects of the Thirty Years' War . It experienced a heyday especially in the 18th century as a widely respected educational center for sons of the European nobility (a boarding school was founded in 1772).

In 1797 the buildings were occupied by French troops and the monastery was secularized. The valuable furniture was sold, an important altar is, for example, in the parish church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in Saignelégier . The area of ​​the monastery came to France together with the Duchy of Basel in 1797 and was integrated into the Département du Mont-Terrible . In 1801 the onion domes were covered and the metal thus obtained was sold; the double towers subsequently partially disintegrated. In 1815 Bellelay fell to the Canton of Bern by a resolution of the Congress of Vienna .

In the 19th century the monastery buildings were first used as a clock factory , then as a brewery and finally as a glassworks . The church served at times as a stable or barn. Overall, the buildings were in different stages of decay. In 1891, the canton of Bern acquired the area from the bankruptcy of the glassworks for 150,000 francs. Since then, the building has served as a psychiatric clinic . In 1956 the monastery church was restored and restored for 600,000 francs. The altars now in the church are from the same style period as the originals, but represent acquisitions from other churches. In 2009 the organ of Joseph Bossard from 1721, which was reconstructed by Orgelbau Kuhn , was inaugurated. A foundation organizes annual exhibitions where contemporary art and baroque architecture are to enter into dialogue.

building

The current building of the monastery church of the Assumption of Mary was built 1708–1714 by Franz Beer according to the Vorarlberg cathedral scheme. The church has two compact front towers that were originally equipped with onion domes . Inside, valuable stucco work from the Wessobrunn school (1713) can be admired. The baroque style monastery buildings were also built at the beginning of the 18th century.

Organs

View of the main organ

In the church there are two organs from the workshop of the Kuhn company (Männedorf, Switzerland). The main organ was built in 2009 based on the style of the organ builder Joseph Bossard. The slider chest instrument has 26 stops on three manuals and a pedal . Hauptwerk, Positiv and Pedal each have a short octave; the manuals have subsemitonies (dis / es). The Echowerk has a reduced range and is only equipped with one register. The playing and stop actions are mechanical.

I positive C – c 3 1. Bourdon 8th' 2. Principal 4 ′ 3. Flood doux 4 ′ 4th Flageolet 2 ′ 5. Fittings III 1' 6th Cymbals II 1' 7th Voix humaine 8th' Tremblant

II Grand Orgue C – c 3 8th. Principal 8th' 9. Bourdon 8th' 10. Viole 8th' 11. Prestant 4 ′ 12. Flood sylvestre 4 ′ 13. Flood traverse 4 ′ 14th Viole d'Amour 4 ′ 15th Fifth 3 ′

(Continuation) 16. Duplicate 2 ′ 17th Fittings IV 2 ′ 18th Gros Cymbals III 1' 19th Cornett V (from c 1 ) 8th' 20th Trumpets 8th' 21st Clairon 4 ′

III echo c 1 -c 3 22nd Echokornett V 8th' Pedal C – c 1 23. Soubasse 16 ′ 24. Contra bass 16 ′ 25th Principal 8th' 26th Bassoon 8th'

• Coupling : I / II (sliding coupling), II / P (wind coupling)
• Effect register : "Saint Francois"

The choir organ is a historicizing new building from 2014. The instrument was largely designed based on the workshop book of the Bossard family of organ builders. The slider chest instrument has 15 registers on a manual (short deep octave) and pedal. The playing and stop actions are mechanical.

Manuals C – c 3 1. Principal 8th' 2. Bourdon 8th' 3. Salicional 8th' 4th Suavial 8th'

(Continuation) 5. Octave 4 ′ 6th Flood 4 ′ 7th Flood bouchée 4 ′ 8th. Fifth 3 ′

(Continuation) 9. Super octave 2 ′ 10. Flageolet 2 ′ 11. Tierce 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 12. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′

(Continuation) 13. Fittings III 2 ′ 14th Mixture III 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Tremblant

Pedal C – a 0 15th Soubasse 16 ′

• Coupling : I / P

Cheese Tete de Moine

It is said that the "monks" (actually canons) from Bellelay invented the cheese " Tête de Moine " (monk's head). Cheese making in the abbey is first mentioned in 1192. As a means of payment for the abbey, it spread throughout the region. The name used today, however, dates from the 19th century.

List of Abbots of Bellelay

The names of 42 abbots have been handed down from the time the monastery was founded until the monastery was closed.

Surname Term of office Geroldus 1142-1180 Ludovicus 1187-1202 Adam 1195 Richardus 1202-1237 Henricus I. de Soulce 1237-1256 Jacobus I. 1256-1258 Conradus 1258-1270 unknown, possibly deceased in 1276 Peter I de Varres 1289-1296 Burchardus de Boécourt 1298-1316 Lambertus 1316-1326 Peter II de Sancey 1326-1336 Henricus II. De Bassecourt 1337-1350 Peter III de Vannes 1350-1354

Surname Term of office Jacobus II. De Séprais 1365-1374 John III de Pontenet 1374-1398 John IV Donzelat 1398-1401 Henricus III. Ner 1401-1418 Heinzmann (Henricus IV.) Girardin 1418-1426 John V. de Chatelat 1426-1434 Peter IV Martini 1434-1438 Heinzmann (Henricus V.) 1438-1448 John VI Rier 1448-1456 John VII. Gruel or Grier 1456-1483 John VIII. Barth 1483-1490 John IX Brullard 1490-1508 Nicolaus I. Quickly 1508-1530 John X. Gogniat 1530-1553

Surname Term of office Servatius Fridez 1553-1561 Antonius Fottel 1561-1574 John XI. Simon 1574-1579 Werner Spießbrecher (Brieselance) 1579-1612 David Juillerat 1612-1637 John XII. Petrus Cuénat 1637-1666 John XIII Georgius Schwaller 1666-1691 Norbertus Périat 1691-1692 Fridericus de Staal 1692-1706 John XIV. Georgius Voirol 1706-1719 John XV Sémon 1719-1743 Gregorius Joliat 1743-1771 Nicolaus II Deluce 1771-1784 Ambrosius Monnin 1784-1807

literature

• Catherine Dirt Nicod: The Former Bellelay Abbey. (Swiss Art Guide, Volume 736, Series 74). Ed. Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Bern 2003, ISBN 3-85782-736-X .

Web links

Commons : Bellelay Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Jean-Claude Rebetez: Bellelay. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• The large organ of the former Bellelay monastery church
• Bellelay Abbey Foundation

Individual evidence

1. ^ Psychiatric services Biel - Seeland - Bernese Jura. ( Memento of the original from February 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Information on Bellelay, main organ on the website of Orgelbau Kuhn, accessed on September 5, 2015.
3. ↑ Information about Bellelay, choir organ on the website of Orgelbau Kuhn, accessed on September 5, 2015.
4. ↑ List according to L'ordre des Prémontrés - Les Abbés - L'époque glorieuse. ( Memento from February 15, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (archive version)

Coordinates: 47 ° 15 '50 "  N , 7 ° 10' 7"  E ; CH1903:  579,565  /  two hundred and thirty-four thousand eight hundred and twelve