Frauenberg Monastery (Fulda)

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Frauenberg Monastery
Aerial view with the monastery church and convent buildings
Aerial view with the monastery church and convent buildings
location Am Frauenberg 1, 36039 Fulda
Lies in the diocese Diocese of Fulda
Coordinates: 50 ° 33 '39 "  N , 9 ° 40' 14.7"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 33 '39 "  N , 9 ° 40' 14.7"  E
Patronage Mother of God Mary
founding year In 802–817, under Abbot Ratgar , it became the provost of the Fulda monastery through Benedictines , and after 1623 Franciscans
Year of dissolution /
annulment
1525 (Benedictines), 1633, 1875, 1940
Year of repopulation 1623 (Franciscans), 1634, 1884, 1945
The Frauenberg monastery high above the city of Fulda

The nun mountain is a monastery of the Franciscans on the same mountain in Fulda . In the monastery was the Provincialate of the Thuringian Franciscan Province , which was combined with the four other provinces to form the German Franciscan Province in 2010 . The monastery also has a late baroque monastery church.

history

Franciscan monastery Frauenberg in front of the city of Fulda, 1850

From Boniface to the end of the parish church

In 744 came Sturmius by Fulda to on behalf of his master Boniface the monastery of Fulda to build. He followed him a little later to see the construction company's progress. As the monks reported at that time, Boniface had withdrawn to a mountain north of the building site in order to find peace from the building noise and to pray there and study the Holy Scriptures. He also occasionally celebrated masses on the mountain, for which he consecrated an altar in the previously built wooden church.

After Boniface's death in Friesland in 754, the mountain was to bear his memory. That is why it was called Bischofsberg. Abbot Ratgar (802-817) had the church rebuilt on the Bischofsberg because the wooden church threatened to deteriorate. The new church was a massive stone building that Archbishop Richulf of Mainz placed under the patronage of Our Lady in 809 at Ratgar's request . She served for the pastoral care of the people living around her. Because of this, Ratgar had an additional building built in which the pastors could live. At first the pastors were monks from the abbey. To 817 but they were by Abbot Ratgar by secular canons replaced. The church on the Bischofsberg remained the parish and parish church of Fulda until around 1049, when the city ​​parish church took over this function.

The provostry under the Benedictines

After the church on the Bischofsberg had served its purpose as a parish church, Benedictines moved into the monastery and the church. The Bischofsberg was a provost office of the Fulda monastery , which existed until the abbey of Fulda was abolished in 1802. Since the church was subordinate to the patronage of Our Lady and in the course of the 11th and 12th centuries it became a monument to St. Mary of Fuldas, the sources increasingly use the name “Mons s. Mariae ”, meaning“ Marienberg ”or the“ Mountain of Our Lady ”. This became popularly known as the Frauenberg, as it is still called today.

Abbot Rugger II. (1176–1177) had the church renovated during his time in office, as the provost did not own much. Since the water supply on the mountain was a big problem, Abbot Heinrich VI. von Hohenberg (1315–1353) built a draw well that is still there today. During Heinrich's reign, the first devastation took place on the Frauenberg, when Heinrich sided with Pope John XXII against the later Emperor Ludwig IV . posed. The royal troops burned the Frauenberg down in 1327. In return, the Pope donated the parish of Salzschlirf to the Frauenberg provost.

After the damage had been repaired, the Frauenberg was again haunted by rebellious citizens in 1331 because Abbot Heinrich was hiding there. The Frauenberg was burned down again. But Heinrich was able to put down the uprising, rebuilt the Frauenberg and had it fortified. After these stormy times, calm returned to the mountain, which lasted around 200 years. At Easter 1525 the peasant uprising also came to the Fulda region. On the Tuesday after Easter, the insurgents destroyed all objects in the monastery and the church. Then they set fire to the buildings and the Frauenberg burned for the third time. The Benedictine monks fled the mountain. Landgrave Philipp von Hessen came to the rescue and freed the Frauenberg from the rebels. However, nothing remained but ruins and the Benedictines never returned.

Reconstruction and settlement of the Franciscans

Frauenberg lay fallow for fifty years before Abbot Balthasar von Dernbach had the Marian shrine rebuilt. However, due to his exile, not everything could be completed. Prince Abbot Friedrich von Schwalbach (1606–1622) took care of the rest of the construction work. Since there is no evidence of a church consecration during this time, it can be assumed that the old Ratgar Church was rebuilt. According to the traditions of the Frauenberg, the Mainz auxiliary bishop Christoph Weber (1616–1633), who resided in Erfurt, only consecrated the altars . After the buildings on the Frauenberg had been rebuilt, Prince Abbot Friedrich wanted to give the monastery back to a religious order.

In order to bring the population back to the Catholic faith after the turmoil of the Reformation , contact was made with the Provincial of the Cologne Province ( "Colonia" ) of the Franciscans. In 1618 a request was made to send some brothers to Fulda for pastoral care and to settle there. The provincial gave his approval. The question now remained where the brothers could best be accommodated, since the old Franciscan monastery, built in 1246 behind the parish church , had been given to the Jesuits . Franciscans first came to Fulda in 1237 or 1238. They had to leave the city around 1550 as a result of the Reformation.

On February 12, 1620, two Franciscan friars from Colonia first moved into the Severikirche , which had a small adjoining apartment for the brothers. A convent could not be accommodated there, however, and so the search for a suitable location continued. Prince Abbot Friedrich rejected the suggestion that the Franciscans should be at home on the Frauenberg. But after his death in 1622, his successor, Prince Abbot Johann Bernhard Schenk zu Schweinsberg , ceremoniously handed the Frauenberg over to the Franciscans in March 1623. Three priests, two friars and a layman moved to the Frauenberg.

The Franciscans on the Frauenberg through the ages

The certificate of lease for the Frauenberg was only issued in January 1626. There were two serious restrictions on the Franciscan Friars in this charter. The first restriction was that the Franciscans had to leave the mountain if Benedictines were to be resettled in Fulda or the prince abbot needed the mountain for something else. However, it was conceded that in this case the city would find another place to stay for the Franciscans. The second restriction was the inalienability of the Frauenberg. The church and monastery on the Frauenberg are still formally owned by the episcopal see . Apart from these restrictions, the Franciscans wanted accommodation in the city because they had to contend with some difficulties on the Frauenberg. But all the letters to the various prince abbots were unsuccessful and the brothers stayed on the Frauenberg.

During the Thirty Years War , Fulda and the Frauenberg were also occupied, plundered and devastated in 1631. The Franciscan Brothers were expelled from the country in 1633 and the Frauenberg became the property of the Hessian government. In 1634, however, the territory was regained and the Franciscans moved back to the Frauenberg and now belonged to the Thuringian Province of St. Hedwig (" Thuringia ").

The baroque church of the Frauenberg monastery in Fulda

Between 1737 and 1757 the Franciscan Friars undertook some renovation work on the monastery and the church. However, a large part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1757. The brothers rebuilt everything, although they were not given a guarantee that the Frauenberg would remain. The brothers did much of the work themselves, as architects, carpenters, sculptors and others were among them. Nevertheless, there were still immense costs that were financed by donations. Everything was finished at the end of the 18th century. But as early as 1802, the Franciscans faced further problems. Since the Prince of Hesse-Nassau had taken over the bishopric of Fulda and closed the Benedictine and Capuchin monasteries one after the other, the whereabouts of the Frauenberg monastery was uncertain. But it remained for the time being.

The unification of Hessen-Kassel with Prussia also brought improvements, since the Prussian constitution respected the independence of the Catholic Church. This enabled the Frauenberg monastery to expand. But the Kulturkampf in Prussia ruined the upswing. In May 1875, the Order Law was passed, stating that all orders that did not provide nursing care were expelled from Prussian soil. So the Franciscans had to give up their Frauenberg monastery. On October 20th, the brothers had to leave the mountain under police supervision. The church and the monastery were locked. Four years later, the Prussian state offered the city of Fulda the purchase of Frauenberg for 20,000 marks, and the city agreed. The doors of the church and the monastery were opened again immediately, and in 1884 the first four Franciscan friars returned to the monastery. But it was not until 1887 that they were allowed to live again as a religious community in the monastery.

Until 1940 the Franciscans lived in peace in the Frauenberg monastery. That year, the monastery was charged and sentenced to be confiscated. The brothers had to leave the Frauenberg again and were not allowed to take anything with them except clothing. The only concession made to them was that the church and sacristy would not be confiscated. The brothers were able to place figures of saints and art objects in it. The brothers left Frauenberg Abbey in December 1940 and were instructed to leave Hessen-Nassau. In January and February 1941 the school for the SS security service moved to the monastery, but in 1942 it moved to Prague. The print shop was then taken to the Reich Security Main Office in Berlin . Subsequently, the premises, apart from the church, the sacristy and the library, were rented to the Fulda hospital administration. The Frauenberg was spared during the bombing raids on Fulda in September 1944.

The Americans liberated Fulda on Easter 1945 and the hospital was closed in June. Thus the Frauenberg monastery was free again and it was decided that it should return to its old rights. So the Franciscan Brothers moved back into the monastery.

After the war, the number of brothers continued to increase and the monastery became a training place for the order province. But in the 1960s the number of young brothers continued to decline and the situation in the Frauenberg monastery changed. In the 1970s, the problems got worse. But the Frauenberg monastery was able to hold its own. In 1973/74 even the church was renovated, the library was rebuilt and an old people's and health center was set up.

From 1999 to 2004 the monastery was thoroughly renovated and refurbished. It was adapted to the needs of the few Franciscans left because the monastery premises had become too large. So it was decided to build a guest house in the monastery.

Frauenberg Monastery today

The Frauenberg with the vineyard on the southern slope (2019)

The Provincialate of the Thuringian Franciscan Province had been in the Fuldens Monastery since 1894 until it became part of the German Franciscan Province in 2010 . Due to the lack of young people, the number of Franciscans has steadily decreased over the decades. Today eight brothers still live in the Frauenberg monastery. Above all, they carry out pastoral activities .

In 2016 the German Franciscan Province entered into a close cooperation with "antonius - Netzwerk Mensch", which intends to set up an inclusive housing project for people with and without disabilities in the monastery buildings and to continue the guest house.

To the north of the monastery is the Frauenberg municipal cemetery .

The monastery church

Interior - view of the organ
Interior of the monastery church with a view of the high altar

The monastery church in its current form was rebuilt in the late Baroque style after the fire in 1757 from 1758 to 1763 inclusive . The Franciscan friars included architects and builders, which enabled them to design their church according to their ideas. Brother Cornelius Schmitt was the architect and site manager of the monastery church on the Frauenberg. He designed the plans for the church and its six side altars. He was supported by Brother Hyazinth Wiegand, who also built the high altar. The figures were designed by Brother Wenzelaus Marx . The pictures in the interior of the church and on the altars are by the court painter Johann Andreas Herrlein . The consecration of the church took place on July 10, 1763 by the Fulda auxiliary bishop Konstantin Schütz von Holzhausen .

The monastery church is about 50 meters long and 16 meters wide and has a single-nave hall. The organ is located on the upper floor, the gallery, above the entrance . At the top is the high altar, which fills the entire wall. Central is the statue of Our Lady, who survived the fire in 1757 unscathed. There are a total of six additional side altars on the outer walls of the interior. The church also has a pulpit on the side wall. There are also six confessionals in the monastery church for pastoral care and the donation of the sacrament of penance. There are also paintings on the walls with the 14 Stations of the Cross. Four figures were attached to the walls as a memorial to their martyr brothers. During the renovation of the Frauenberg monastery between 1999 and 2004, a confessional chapel was attached to the church building.

In 1949 the Otto bell foundry in Bremen-Hemelingen cast  three bronze bells for the monastery church. The bells are tuned to a flat - b - c. They have the following diameters: 970 mm, 864 mm and 770 mm.

Monastery cemetery

This Marien or Lourdes grotto is located at the entrance to the monastery cemetery
The grave rows of the deceased friars.

Next to the church, hidden behind the high monastery walls, is the monastery cemetery. The entrance is adorned with a Marian or Lourdes grotto, which invites you to linger. Following are the graves of the deceased Franciscan brothers.

Monastery garden

The spacious monastery garden

Next to the church, hidden behind a high wall, lies the extensive cloister garden, which is now accessible to all visitors to the Frauenberg and invites you to linger. The garden, like the entire monastery complex, dates from the Baroque period and served our religious community for many decades as a utility and ornamental garden - but also as a spiritual place of prayer and silence.

Guest house

Profile of the guest house Kloster Frauenberg

The guest house, which occupies part of the monastery, was also built during the renovation work between 1999 and 2004. It offers overnight accommodation in 21 single and double rooms. There are also some conference and group rooms available. In addition to its own conferences, concerts and lectures that can be held there, the Frauenberg Monastery also offers the opportunity to take part in retreats or prayers by the Franciscan Brothers.

literature

  • Johannes Burkardt: Fulda, Frauenberg , in: Friedhelm Jürgensmeier, among others: The Benedictine monastery and nunnery in Hessen (Germania Benedictina 7 Hessen), Eos, St. Ottilien 2004, pp. 435–444, ISBN 3-8306-7199-7 .
  • Dieter Griesbach-Maisant: Cultural monuments in Hessen. City of Fulda , Stuttgart et al. 1992 (= monument topography Federal Republic of Germany).
  • P. Sigfrid Klöckner: Der Frauenberg , Verlag Parzeller & Co., Fulda o. J.
  • Hadrian W. Koch : Frauenberg Monastery in Fulda , Michael Imhof Verlag, Fulda 2009, ISBN 978-3-86568-431-8 .
  • P. Beda Schmidt: 200 years of the church and monastery Frauenberg / Fulda 1763–1963 , Fulda 1963.
  • Fast: Franciscan Church Frauenberg Fulda . Art Guide No. 1023, Verlag Schnell and Steiner GmbH, Regensburg 4th edit. Edition 2004, ISBN 3-7954-4754-2 .
  • Rudolf Zibuschka: The forced closure of the Frauenberg monastery in 1940 , in: Fuldaer Geschichtsblätter 66 (1990), pp. 1-30.
  • Flyer from the guest house Kloster Frauenberg.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. Hadrian W. Koch, pp. 8-11; P. Beda Schmidt, pp. 26-29; Schnell, p. 3; P. Sigfrid Klöckner, pp. 7-9.
  2. Koch, pp. 12-17; Schmidt, pp. 29-31; Schnell, p. 3; Klöckner, pp. 9-11.
  3. ^ German Franciscan Province: The Frauenberg and its history , accessed on August 22, 2015.
  4. Koch, pp. 17-22; Schmidt, pp. 31-36; Schnell, p. 3; Klöckner, pp. 12-14; Christian Plath: Between Counter Reformation and Baroque piety. Mainz 2010, p. 50f.
  5. ↑ The monastery on Frauenberg should remain , osthessen-news.de of October 29, 2015, last accessed on March 25, 2016.
  6. In some works there is talk of Hessen-Kassel; Koch, p. 62; Klöckner, p. 26f .; Schmidt, p. 72.
  7. Koch, pp. 23-75; Schmidt, pp. 36-85; Schnell, p. 3 f .; Klöckner, pp. 14-29.
  8. ^ Franciscans. Magazine for Franciscan Culture and Way of Life. WSintger 2016, p. 33.
  9. Koch, pp. 25, 30, 34, 36 f., 41, 68-72; Schnell, pp. 6–20.
  10. ^ Gerhard Reinhold: Otto bells. Family and company history of the Otto bell foundry dynasty . Self-published, Essen 2019, ISBN 978-3-00-063109-2 , p. 588, especially page 545 .
  11. Gerhard Reinhold: Church bells - Christian world cultural heritage, illustrated using the example of the bell founder Otto, Hemelingen / Bremen . Nijmegen / NL 2019, p. 556, especially p. 503 , urn : nbn: nl: ui: 22-2066 / 204770 (dissertation at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen).
  12. Flyer of the guest house Kloster Frauenberg.