Kerz Monastery
| Cistercian Abbey Kerz | |
|---|---|
 Kerz Monastery, former Cistercian abbey |
|
| location | Romania Sibiu County |
| Coordinates: | 45 ° 47 '31.6 " N , 24 ° 34' 8.5" E |
| Serial number according to Janauschek |
539 |
| Patronage | St. Mary |
| founding year | 1202 |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1474 |
| Mother monastery | Igriș Monastery |
|
Daughter monasteries |
no |
The Kerz Monastery ( German Our Lady to the Candle n , Romanian Mănăstirea Cârța , Latin Sancta Maria de candelis ) is a former Cistercian abbey in Transylvania , Romania . It was the furthest south-east (within Europe, excluding Greece and Turkey) located Cistercian monastery and was in the place Cârța (Kerz) near Sibiu .
history
The monastery was founded in 1202 as a subsidiary of the Egresch monastery and thus belonged to the affiliation of the Pontigny Primary Abbey . Kerz Abbey was initially assigned an area on the left bank of the Old River by the Hungarian king - the so-called terram exemtam de Blaccis and was enfeoffed with several villages in the area, including Michelsberg near Heltau , which had been in the possession of the monastery since 1223. In addition, the abbey actively intervened in the colonization of the then still deserted corner between Schäßburger and Repser Stuhl . At the instigation of the abbey, the villages Deutschkreuz , Kerz, Klosdorf (Rum. Cloașterf ) and Meschendorf (Rum. Meșendorf ) were created. The monastery thus participated directly in the colonization of the royal soil , which was a typical behavior of the order, which preferred to be active in areas that were still little developed. The settlers for these activities came, in addition to those from the German states (see Transylvanian Saxony ), probably partly from Flanders , some also from north-east France.
Another donation that significantly increased the monastery’s wealth was made around 1240 by King Bela IV from the places Marienburg, Tartlau, Honigberg and Petersberg in Burzenland . after deduction of the Teutonic Order .
In 1264 the Hungarian King Stephen placed the abbey and its possessions under the protection of the city of Sibiu. As a result, the inhabitants of the localities belonging to the abbey were able to enjoy the rights of the Golden Charter , the so-called Libertas Cibinensis . From that time until the 19th century, the areas of the abbey were under the authority of the Sibiu magistrate.
The monastery was plundered in the Mongol storm of 1241, but no fire or other traces of destruction can be seen. The construction of the existing eastern part of the church can be dated after 1264. After the Turkish invasion of Transylvania, the abbey began to decline. The incursions from 1421 onwards did serious damage to the monastery and also accelerated the moral decline inside. Under Abbot Raimund von Perenfuß this had assumed such proportions that on February 27, 1474 the abbey was dissolved by King Matthias Corvinus after conflicts with the landlords . After that, the abbey and the villages of Kerz and Michelsberg came under the administration of Sibiu. The other possessions went to the Burzenländer district and the Repser chair .
Buildings and plant
The Gothic stone construction of the church began before 1241. The Cistercians contributed to the spread of this architectural style in Transylvania and above all influenced the new church buildings in Burzenland at the time , on which the plastic ornaments of the Cistercian Gothic can be found ornamentally . Examples would be St. Bartholomew in Kronstadt or the churches of Neustadt , Petersberg and Tartlau , which are kept in the early Gothic style.
The church is a three-aisled basilica in a bound system with a transept, two-bay pentagonal choir and two rectangular chapels on each side. The nave had four double yokes . The enclosure was to the right (south) of the church. The choir, crossing and a southern side chapel have been preserved. The nave, facade and the eastern part of the enclosure have been preserved as ruins.
Today the choir of the old monastery church is used by the Evangelical parish of Kerz . A service takes place here every third week (as of 2020).
literature
- Juliana Fabritius-Dancu : Saxon fortified churches in Transylvania. 2nd, revised edition. Transilvania magazine, Sibiu (Hermannstadt) 1983.
- Carl Göllner: History of the Germans in the area of Romania. Volume 1: 12th century to 1848. Kriterion-Verlag, Bucharest 1979.
- Reinhardt Hootz (ed.): Art monuments in Romania. A picture manual. Introduction, explanations and selection of images by Virgil Vătășianu. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich et al. 1986, ISBN 3-422-00332-0 , pp. 414-415, with floor plan and photos.
- Michael Thalgott: The Cistercians of Kerz. Relationships (= publications of the Südostdeutschen Kulturwerk. Series B: Scientific works. Vol. 50). Verlag Südostdeutsches Kulturwerk, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-88356-061-8 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Lexicon of the Transylvanian Saxons . Thaur near Innsbruck 1993, p. 233 .
- ↑ Kerz from Evangelical District Consistory Sibiu , accessed on May 29, 2020.
