Gevelsberg Monastery
The Gevelsberg monastery in Gevelsberg ( Ennepe-Ruhr district , North Rhine-Westphalia ) was founded around 1230/1236 as a Cistercian monastery . With the Reformation around 1577 it was converted into a free worldly, aristocratic women's monastery . In 1812 it was repealed.
founding
The background to the establishment was the murder of Archbishop Engelbert of Cologne in 1225. Caesarius von Heisterbach reported shortly thereafter that miracles had happened at the murder site. A cross and a wooden chapel were first erected there as a memorial. The new Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich von Molenark, supported plans to found a monastery at the murder site. The time when the monastery was founded is not entirely clear. Cistercian women were mentioned in a document in 1236. It is possible that the founding was a few years ago. The monastery was consecrated to Maria and St. Laurentius.
Material basis
During the time of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden, he protected the monastery, which, however, became relatively dependent on Cologne. The monastery was able to expand its property in the 13th century, in particular through donations from Cologne citizens. Partly it kept the possessions in the city, partly the monastery sold them again later. From the 15th century there is evidence of a town house "cleyne Gevelsberg" (Kleingevelsberg) in Cologne, which was used as an apartment by members of the community when they visited the cathedral city. The monastery also received donations from Cologne ministers and aristocrats in the area.
Monastery buildings
The monastery church was a four-bay basilica without a transept with a west tower. It was built in the 13th century. In the tower there was probably also a gallery for the nuns, from which they could attend the services. The church's furnishings included a life-size wooden statue of the murdered archbishop.
Around the year 1237 the remaining monastery buildings were also completed. They had no direct structural connection with the monastery church.
development
The monastery soon developed into a place of pilgrimage and became the center of worship for Engelbert of Cologne. In the early days of the establishment, Gevelsberg had close relationships with Heisterbach . One of the first abbesses was a Christina. This was heavily involved in the establishment of the daughter monasteries in Benninghausen and Rees .
There is no information about the social origin of the abbesses. In addition to the abbess, a prioress belonged to the management of the convent. There is no information about the origin of the first nuns. There is no tradition of their number either. The sisters came partly from the bourgeoisie in Cologne, partly from the regional nobility. Initially, the nuns followed the dictates of personal poverty. They had had personal property since 1263. In addition to the actual members of the convention, there were also male and female conversi .
The monastery did not have its own parish rights, but remained subordinate to the parish in Schwelm . In 1281 the convent bought goods in Wiesdorf (today near Leverkusen), which also included the rights to a parish. Because of the distance, nothing changed in the position of the Convention as a whole.
Time as a lady's pen
In the course of the Reformation, the monastery was converted into a free-worldly, aristocratic women's monastery around 1577. This accepted women from both Catholic and Protestant families ( Simultanstift ). According to the statutes of 1657, five of the twelve positions were for Reformed , three for Lutheran and three for Catholic women. In practice, however, the proportion of Catholics was often lower. In 1609 and 1624 there were no Catholic women and Catholic masses were not held either.
New buildings, such as the abbess house, were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. This older building was a half-timbered house on a high, solid stone base. Today it is called the Old Abbess House. During this time, additions and alterations were made to the church.
A new house for the headmistress was built in 1805 shortly before the abolition in 1812. This building, known today as the New Abbess House , was built in the simple Bergisch classical style and was clad with slate.
The monastery church was first closed in 1823 because of dilapidation and demolished in 1826. In the 20th century, the buildings of the former monastery housed a rest home for the Von Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Irene Crusius : Studies on the Kanonissenstift. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001. P. 347 Partial digitization
literature
- Heiko KL Schulze : Monasteries and monasteries in Westphalia. History, building history and description. A documentation. In: Géza Jászai (Ed.): Monastic Westphalia. Monasteries and monasteries 800-1800. Münster, 1982 p. 354f.
- Kaspar Elm: The male and female Cistercians in Westphalia from the beginnings to the Reformation. In: Géza Jászai (Ed.): Monastic Westphalia. Monasteries and monasteries 800-1800. Münster, 1982 p. 52
Web links
- The Cistercian monasteries in the Westphalian part of the diocese of Cologne: Gevelsberg Monastery. PDF file
- The miracle of Gevelsberg
Coordinates: 51 ° 18 ′ 50.9 ″ N , 7 ° 19 ′ 38 ″ E