Grünhain Monastery
| Grünhain Cistercian Abbey | |
|---|---|
 Northern monastery wall |
|
| location |
 Germany Saxony |
| Coordinates: | 50 ° 34 '46.4 " N , 12 ° 48' 40" E |
| Serial number according to Janauschek |
621 |
| founding year | 1230 |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1536 |
| Mother monastery | Sittichenbach Monastery |
| Primary Abbey | Morimond Monastery |
|
Daughter monasteries |
no |
The monastery Grünhain was a Cistercian abbey in Grünhain in the Saxon Erzgebirge , which consisted and 1230-1536 is now only get still in ruins.
founding
Meinher II., Count von Hartenstein and Burgrave of Meißen , entrusted a group of Cistercian monks from the Sittichenbach monastery in 1226 with the task of coming to an area that had been populated by farmers from Main Franconia for several decades. You should help to cultivate the hardly developed forest area. The monks found a suitable place near the young community of Grünhain and began building the monastery complex, which they completed after a few years in 1230. It took another half a decade until the permanent convent moved from the Sittichenbach mother monastery in Grünhain on September 20, 1235 . On Easter Monday of the following year the monastery was consecrated by Naumburg Bishop Engelhard .
investment
The building and garden of the monastery were enclosed by a high wall that is still well preserved today. Inside there was another wall that separated the enclosure in the eastern part of the monastery, to which only the monks had access, from the rest of the buildings.
Retreat with monastery church
The overall appearance of the monastery complex was shaped by the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, which was located at the highest point of the enclosure. The three-aisled cruciform basilica with a rectangular sanctuary had a gallery and chapels. Of this approximately 80 meters long and over 20 meters wide church, to which other buildings were attached, only parts of the foundation walls are preserved today, as the stones were released for construction after the decline of the monastery. Excavations in the 1930s and 1990s partially revealed the buried foundation walls. At the place of the altar a wooden cross was erected bearing the motto of the Benedictine monks , "Ora et Labora". The approximate appearance of the church building can be reconstructed on the basis of the remains of the wall. The building was characterized by a simplicity that was characteristic of early religious architecture. The floor plan corresponds to the Bernhardin construction plan and like all Cistercian churches the Grünhainer church was aligned on an east-west axis. Pieces of cross ribs found during excavations in the 1930s and 1990s indicate a high Gothic architectural style.
The remaining monastery buildings
The official building stood on the western wall of the monastery, which is still today in a structurally modified form at the entrance to the monastery grounds. If you enter this, after about 50 meters you come across another building, the foundation walls of which date from the time of the monastery. The “long shed”, which is now used as a residential building, served the monks as a warehouse, especially for grain. If you follow the path further east, a little later you come across a small herb garden, which is supposed to remind of the botanical work of the monks. A plaque has been set up with the names and uses of the aromatic plants grown here. Before entering the former cloister area in the further course of the path, one comes across the “Fuchsturm”, which was built in the second half of the 13th century on the inner monastery wall as a gate between the two monastery areas. The upper floor of the tower was used as a prison and is said to have "housed" the prince robber Kunz von Kauffungen in this function . In Dilich's drawing, the fox tower is only shown as a ruin, which suggests that it burned out after the monastery was dissolved. The Electoral Office of Grünhain had it rebuilt after the Thirty Years' War and so it was probably used during the electoral hunts in the area. Today the tower serves as an exhibition room and workshop for the Grünhainer carving and crib association.
possession
Even during the construction period, the monks received the village of Grünhain as a fief. The first major increase in ownership can be dated to the year 1240. Meinher ceded ten villages from his Hartenstein area to the monastery . Two documents about the change of ownership, in which many of the places are mentioned for the first time, have been preserved. One of the two documents, a confirmation letter, lists the villages as follows:
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The desolate village of Holzinhain , the corridors of Kühnhaide , Burgstädtel , Zwönitz and the state forest in between also belonged to the monastery's main area . The monastery area was then further enlarged through the clever management of the monks. In the area around Zwickau , the villages of Crossen , the current Werzeit district of Königswalde , Hartmannsdorf bei Werdau , Marienthal , Bockwa , Oberhohndorf , Reinsdorf (partly) , Zschocken (partly), Lauenhain , Gersdorf bei Crimmitschau , Schedewitz and Weißenborn (partly) were acquired. Some villages in the vicinity of Stollberg also became the property of the monastery: Abbey Oberlungwitz , Seifersdorf , Leukersdorf , Kirchberg , Pfaffenhain and Ursprung .
Later came the place Zwönitz itself, in 1312 half of Lenkersdorf , Zschocken, Gablenz , Günsdorf , Grünau bei Wildenfels , Oelsnitz (partly) , Unterscheibe and the Glaßberg were added. The monks even acquired property in Altenburger Land. They bought Gardschütz , Lehndorf , Niederwiera , Röhrsdorf , Rositz and Hoyersdorf. Finally, the entire Schlettau office was acquired with the towns of Cranzahl , Cunersdorf , Sehma , Walthersdorf , Königswalde (official site) and Bärenstein .
Ten other monastery villages (Denetitz, Holletitz, Negranitz, Prenzig, Prösteritz, Tschermich, Tuschmitz, Wernsdorf, Wistritz) were located around the Bohemian cities of Saaz and Kaaden . In its heyday, the Grünhain monastery belonged to 3 towns and 56 villages, which underlines its position as the most important Saxon monastery of its time.
In the old town of Zwickau the abbey had a town courtyard , the Grünhainer Hof in today's Peter-Breuer-Straße with the Grünhainer Chapel, which is now used as a restaurant .
The Grünhain monastery owned vineyards in good locations in the villages of Maua and Leutra near Jena, as well as the right of patronage for the parish of St. Laurentius in Maua.
Farm yard in Zwickau
The monastery had a farm in Zwickau. In 1522 insurgents stormed this farm yard. A farmer was imprisoned there. A text that was handed down by Stephan Roth in the Oswald-Lasanschen-Annalen reports on this event. According to this text, the torture stick was loaded onto a monk's shoulder.
Monastery life
From the beginning, an abbot , elected for life from among the monks, was the chief and spiritual father of the monks. He also dealt with the representation and administration of the abbey and was later supported by a prior , sometimes also by a sub- priority . The religious life of the monks of Grünhain followed the rule of St. Benedict and the Charter Caritatis of the Cistercian order. There was also a hierarchy within the group of simple monks. The gray-clad lay brothers who did not belong to the clergy were responsible for the menial work . From the ranks of the friars, who appeared in white robes with black belts and dark shoulder gowns and hoods, the abbot appointed a cantor, a sanctuary for the care of the sick, a cellar master who looked after the physical well-being of the monks, a sexton, who was also the library manager, a porter, a novice master who was responsible for supervising the newcomers, and a guest master for the well-being of the guests. Among these were quite influential contemporaries, including the Roman-German King Adolf von Nassau , who met the King of Bohemia, Wenceslaus II , in the monastery in 1294 . During the term of office of Abbot Liborius, the Saxon prince robbery took place in 1455. The initiator of the kidnapping, Kunz von Kauffungen , was overwhelmed not far from the monastery and is said to have been held captive in the Fuchsturm for a few days .
Above all in order to collect the tithe in the more distant areas, monastery courtyards were set up, which were a kind of estate with a chapel, prison and court master. In the area around the monastery, the monks had the task of caring for the souls of the inhabitants and, as well-read people, gave advice on agriculture and cattle breeding. In some communities, e.g. B. Raschau , they also held the service. Under the positive influence of the monastery, Grünhain soon developed into a small town that was already mentioned in documents as an oppidum in 1267.
Abbots
The list of Grünhain abbots is incomplete due to the sometimes poor sources. The following list is based on that of Enderlein and additional information from Richter (see bibliography).
- Brüning or Bruning (since 1235)
During his time as Abbot in Buch (1215 to 1233), Brüning was an experienced head of the monastery . In 1232/33 he was employed as a provisional for the construction of the monastery in locus Gruninhain and already before 1231 acquired the property from knight Heidenreich von Stein for 200 marks of silver. Presumably on September 20, 1235, he and eight monks moved into the Grünhain monastery, which he has since headed as abbot. In 1238 he issued the certificate for the purchase of Dittersdorf and in 1240 for the places Raschau, Schwarzbach and Markersbach.
- Luppold (until 1243)
Presumably he was only an interim abbot or administrator of the abbot's office until about 1243.
- Brüning or Bruning (1243–1254)
Presumably he is identical to the first abbot of the monastery. His term of office ran from June 8, 1243 to shortly before December 1, 1254.
- Albert (1254-1265)
According to Enderlein, his term of office was from November 1, 1254 to around October 21, 1265. According to Richter, he was supposed to have been abbot in 1252, because in that year he was in the function of abbot for road rights with Burgrave Erkenbert von Starkenberg (on Stollberg) quarreled. In 1254 this dispute was settled when the burgrave left the village of Crossen to the monastery as compensation. This documentary evidence shows that Kühnhaide and Zwönitz belonged to the Grünhain monastery in 1252.
- John I (1270-1273)
He is documented as abbot from around 1270 until shortly after July 3, 1273.
- Dietrich or Theodericus (1273–1289)
His term of office was from February 3, 1273 until shortly before November 12, 1289. On December 3, 1273 he was also mentioned as abbot in a document.
- Burchard (1293)
According to Richter, as abbot he probably founded the monastery courtyard in Zwickau in 1293 . This possession of the monastery around Zwickau is confirmed in two documents from 1289 and 1295 by Landgrave Albrecht.
- Heinrich (1289–1301)
According to Enderlein, Abbot Heinrich's first term of office ran from November 12, 1289 to 1301. Since his term of office overlaps with that of Abbot Burchard, Abbot Heinrich's beginning in 1289 can be questioned. Abbot Heinrich, as provost of the Cistercian convent Roda ( Stadtroda ), witnessed the purchase of the Michaeliskloster in Jena in 1301 .
- John
He was only a deputy abbot from 1301 to 1311 and is therefore not counted among the abbots with the name John.
- Heinrich (1311-1316 / 19)
In the period from 1311 to around April 20, 1316 or 1319, Abbot Heinrich's second term of office fell.
- Conrad von Stein (1319-1363)
The abbot Conrad von Stein probably came from the Zwickau patrician family of the Egerer von Stein. The beginning of his term of office is uncertain and probably falls in the year 1319. It ended shortly before March 4, 1363.
- John II (1363-1399)
Abbot Johannes II came from the von Feilitzsch family (Filcz, Vicz). He was in office from about March 4, 1363 until shortly before 1400.
- Nicholas (1400–1409)
Abbot Nikolaus was the son of Zwickau councilor Petzold Beyerstorf and the brother of Abbot Michael from the Buch monastery. He was in office from 1400 until shortly before January 5, 1409. Presumably it was Abbot Nikolaus who in 1401 bought the hammer from Raschau, some goods in Scheibe and the entire village of Glasberg with jurisdiction for 105 shock and 40 Freiberg groschen from the Hartenstein property.
- John III (1409-1429)
Abbot Johannes von Luckau probably came from the von Starkenberg family. From November 5, 1409 until shortly before 1429 he was dept. 1417, on July 17, 1419 and on August 14, 1421, Veit von Schönburg, who had in the meantime bought the Hartenstein estate, signed the sales contract with the right of repurchase with dept Nicholas with Abbot John III. to confirm.
- Eberhard (1429-1439)
He had been abbot since 1429 (before the invasion of the Hussites ) and remained so at least until May 10, 1439.
- Nicholas II (1443-1455)
His tenure began shortly before October 7, 1443 and ended around the beginning of May 1455.
- Liborius (1455-1459)
His tenure began shortly after May 5, 1455 and ended shortly after April 25, 1459.
- John IV (1460-1475)
According to the chronicler Christian Meltzer , his full name was Johannes Funk . He was abbot from at least 1460, or as early as 1459, to 1475 (according to Enderlein, possibly only until February 11, 1473). Johannes IV came from and probably studied in Erfurt and was previously a monk in the Sittichenbach monastery. Since around 1460 he has been named abbot in Grünhainer Kloster, although there is evidence that he did not previously hold a leading position there. It is therefore assumed that the Sittichenbach monastery helped out personally because no abbot could be found from among its own ranks, which was not exceptional. He died in 1475.
- Laurentius or Lorenz (1473 / 75–1485)
The beginning of his term of office (1473 or 1475) is as uncertain as the end of office of his predecessor. Before Laurentius became abbot, he was a monk in the Sittichenbach monastery and was appointed head of the monastery courtyard in Zwickau. A little later he headed the Grünhain monastery as abbot until June 1485.
- Paulus Morgenstern (1485–1507)
He was abbot from June 19, 1485 until his death on May 7, 1507. He was the son of Zwickau councilor Matthes Morgenstern and is said to have studied in Leipzig as early as 1450. In the summer semester of this year, a Paul Morgenstern "de Zwickavia" enrolled there.
- Georg Küttner or Gregor Kottener (1507–1524)
He studied in Leipzig and was abbot from 1507 until his death in 1524. Due to the Reformation, 16 monks are said to have taken off their robes in 1522 and turned their backs on Abbot Gregor.
- John V (1524-1536)
Johannes Göpfert was the last abbot in Grünhain Abbey and formally abdicated in Torgau on July 2, 1536. He continued to live married as a private person in Schlettau and died on April 30, 1548.
Decline and end
In the last century of its existence, the abbey faced numerous attacks. First of all, in 1429 Hussites stormed the town and monastery, robbed everything and set everything on fire. Abbot Eberhard, who was able to escape to Zwickau with some monks , had to pledge his Schlettau possessions as a result of the destruction . The monastery had already recovered in 1460 and was able to redeem the deposit. Since the Hussites continued to be exposed to a constant threat, attempts were made to come to an amicable agreement with them, so that there was a lively exchange and exchange with the Bohemian possessions. Since this cooperation was viewed as heresy by the Papal States, Pope Paul II banned the monastery and its possessions , excommunicated the monks and deposed the abbot. It was not until 1469 that the ban was lifted through the mediation of Rudolf, the Bishop of Breslau , in view of the economic interests of the monastery. The monks swore a new oath of allegiance and intercourse with the Hussites was allowed.
In 1525 the attackers came from their own property. Schönburger and Grünhainer farmers had teamed up and plundered the monastery and the villages in the area. The following is known: While Ernst II von Schönburg (1484–1534) was on the way to the battle of Frankenhausen as commander in chief of Duke George's troops in the fight against the peasant armies , there were peasant revolts in Schönburg. On May 6, 1525, around 3,000 farmers camped between Zwickau and Stollberg. On May 7th, they set out for Grünhain Abbey. Other farmers joined them, including from Tilgen, Wildbach, Langenbach and Beutha. The two Grünhain monasteries and the smaller “Cella in der Aue” were stormed. The abbot and his monks in Grünhain were also able to evade this attack by - following a tip - this time they fled to Annaberg .
The greatest adversary of the monastery was the Reformation , which also found its way into Grünhain in the 1520s. As early as 1522, 16 monks are said to have taken off their robes and turned their backs on Abbot Gregory. In 1533 an electoral commission applied for the monastery to be dissolved. Three years later the possessions went to the Saxon elector and were reduced by a few villages and towns and converted into the electoral office of Grünhain . The last abbot, Johannes Göpfert, received a house in Schlettau , in which he was to spend his old age, and was given 200 gold guilders as well as food, grain and firewood every year. Göpfert converted to Protestantism at an advanced age and married his cook. The few remaining monks, who remained loyal to their order, left Grünhain for Bohemia. In 1535 the small bell of the monastery, which was rung there during prayer and meal times, was given by the Saxon elector, along with a chasuble and goblet, to the newly founded mountain town of Platten .
Today the Mönchsbrunnen monument on Schwarzenberger Straße is intended to commemorate the former Grünhain monastery.
literature
- Emil Herzog: History of the Grünhain Monastery. In: Archives for the Saxon History 7 (1869), pp. 60–96. ( Digitized version )
- Berthold Schmidt: Recovered original documents from the Grünhain monastery (part 2) . Schmidt, Neustadt ad Aisch 1894 ( digitized version )
- Lothar Enderlein : Grünhain Monastery in the Western Ore Mountains. Schwarzenberg: Glückauf-Verlag, 1934. DNB 579344479
- Martin Märker: The Cistercian monastery Grünhain in the Ore Mountains. Frankfurt am Main: Verlag des Erzgebirgsverein , 1968. DNB 457484837
- Manfred Richter: Crime scene Middle Ages - St. Petri Schletta files and the Grünhain monk Feiner. Annaberg: Verlag BERGstraße / Günter Hirt, 2002. DNB 970511620
- Uwe Friedmann: The Cistercian monastery Grünhain - the economic activity with special consideration of the non-agricultural area. In: Winfried Schich (ed.): Cistercian monastery economy between the Baltic Sea and the Ore Mountains - studies on monasteries in Western Pomerania, on Himmelpfort in Brandenburg and Grünhain in Saxony. Berlin: Lukas-Verlag, 2004, pp. 301–406. ISBN 3-936872-08-2
Web links
- Literature about Grünhain Monastery in the Saxon Bibliography
- Grünhain Abbey in the digital model ( Memento from January 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Saxon State Office for Archeology, retrieved from the Internet archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ Georg Dehio: Handbook of German Art Monuments, Saxony II, administrative districts Leipzig and Chemnitz , edited by Barbara Becker, Wiebke Fastenrath, Heinrich Magirius et al., Munich 1998, p. 376
- ^ Georg Dehio: Handbook of German Art Monuments, Saxony II, administrative districts Leipzig and Chemnitz , edited by Barbara Becker, Wiebke Fastenrath, Heinrich Magirius et al., Munich 1998, p. 376
- ↑ Kirchgemeindeverband Göschwitz-Rothenstein, history of the parish church of St. Laurentius, http://kgv-goeschwitz-rothenstein.de/maua.htm
- ↑ Kirchgemeindeverband Göschwitz-Rothenstein, History of the Filialkirche St. Nikolaus, http://kgv-goeschwitz-rothenstein.de/leutra.htm
- ↑ Steffen Winkler: The case of the sexton from Ponitz . In: Special edition series (legends and legendary stories from Glauchau and the surrounding area), Museum and Art Collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau, 1981, GDR, p. 11 on the farmyard of the Grünhain monastery in Zwickau
- ↑ Sächsisches Hauptstaatsarchiv Dresden , original document no. 6525 on the pledging of Scharfenstein Castle from May 10, 1439, ... and Sunderlichen belonged to the future Ern Eberharde apte zum Grünenhayn, Niklas von Hassenstein, and Margaretha von der Dame, ...
- ^ Wolf-Dieter Röber : The territory in times of war . In: Author collective, u. a. Helmut Bräuer, Robby Joachim Götze, Steffen Winkler and Wolf-Dieter Röber : The Schönburger, economy, politics, culture . Brochure for the special exhibition of the same name 1990–1991 in the museum and art collection Schloss Hinterglauchau, Glauchau 1990, information on the monasteries Grünhain and Cella bei Aue, p. 73