Lichtenthal Monastery

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Cistercian abbey Lichtenthal
Lichtenthal Monastery IMGP4322.jpg
location Germany
Baden-Wuerttemberg
Lies in the diocese Archdiocese of Freiburg
Coordinates: 48 ° 44 '42.1 "  N , 8 ° 15' 22.2"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 44 '42.1 "  N , 8 ° 15' 22.2"  E
founding year 1245
Congregation Mehrerauer Congregation

Daughter monasteries

Mariengarten

The Lichtenthal Monastery (Latin Abbatia BMV Lucidæ Vallis ) is a Cistercian abbey ( spelling : Cistercian Abbey) in the Baden-Baden district of Lichtental .

history

13th Century

The Lichtenthal monastery was founded in 1245 by Margravine Irmengard von Baden (around 1200-1260) in the immediate vicinity of her ancestral seat, Hohenbaden Castle. Her husband, Margrave Hermann V. von Baden (1180–1243), had died on January 16, 1242 three years earlier. Irmengard named the monastery Lucida vallis ("bright valley") - probably based on the famous Clara vallis (Clairvaux) monastery in France , founded by Bernhard von Clairvaux in the 12th century . The massive expansion of the Cistercian order within Europe, stimulated by the abbots Alberich von Cîteaux and Stephen Harding , had probably also strengthened the desire to found a convent in Irmengard. In addition, relatives of hers were involved in the creation of some new convents: her father Heinrich I founded the Cistercian monastery in Wienhausen in 1227, and in 1232 her sister Agnes was involved in founding the Seligenthal Cistercian abbey in Landshut. However, there is no document from Irmengard's first foundation in the Oos Valley. In March 1245, their sons Rudolf and Hermann officially confirmed and expanded their foundation. A certificate of this confirmation is now in the General State Archives Karlsruhe (Sign. 35/34). In 1245 some nuns moved from the also quite young Cistercian convent Wald near Meßkirch to Lichtenthal in order to introduce the regular monastic order. Sister Trudlinda from Wald was appointed the first abbess of the monastery. The consecration by the Strasbourg bishop Heinrich III von Stahleck and the incorporation into the Cistercian order took place in 1248 under the paternity of the Neuburg Abbey near Hagenau.

Depiction of Christ as ruler of the world in the so-called prayer book of Margravine Irmengard (Upper Rhine, 2nd half of the 13th century, Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, Cod.Lichtenthal 25, fol. 8r)

As the spiritual center of the margraviate, the Cistercian convent of Lichtenthal is of particular importance for the history of Baden : it served the margraves of Baden not only as a house monastery but also as a burial place and enjoyed material support due to its close connection with the Baden family . Due to this close relationship with the House of Baden, the abbey was able to withstand both the church renewal movement of the Reformation in the 16th century and the secularization at the beginning of the 19th century. The direct vicinity of the Hohenbaden headquarters to the Lichtenthal Abbey was also associated with the holding of special masses on celebrations and memorials for the royal family. Since Irmengard's monastery was founded in the 13th century, the margravial family has been honored in the form of eternal remembrance and intercession. In return, she again worked benevolently for the monastery. The further development of Lichtenthal Abbey was thus directly intertwined with the history of the House of Baden.

15th century

Almost 200 years after the founding of the Lichtenthal Monastery, the General Chapter in Cîteaux decided on September 14, 1426 to reform the Lichtenthal Abbey. The abbots from Lützel , Maulbronn and Herrenalb played a leading role. The central point of their demands was the restoration of a regular monastery life in Lichtenthal. In addition, compliance with the cloister and liturgy as well as the renunciation of private property were part of the reform program.

Some nuns from the Alsatian Cistercian Abbey of Königsbrück near Hagenau were involved in the renewal of monastic life in the Lichtenthal Abbey. From there, Elisabeth Wiest was appointed to Lichtenthal as the first reform abbess around 1440. Under her leadership, a private office was established from around 1444. The Lichtenthal monastery had a major influence on the development of its scriptorium in the 15th century through Sister Margaretha , who was nicknamed "Regula" because of her authority as a reading and writing master. She devoted herself to transcribing and translating writings and reading texts for over 30 years. In addition, she was busy compiling, correcting and editing texts.

17th century

In 1618 the Upper German Cistercian Congregation was founded , which was confirmed by the General Chapter in Cîteaux in 1623. The paternity of Lichtenthal was initially transferred to the Salem monastery . Due to the large number of members, the Upper German Cistercian Congregation was divided into several provinces, with Lichtenthal being assigned to the Alsatian-Swiss province. In 1625 there was a change of paternity over Lichtenthal, which the Abbot von Lützel took over. During the Thirty Years' War, Lichtenthal Abbey took on the role of a hostel for Benedictine women from Frauenalb . With another change of paternity in 1668, this role fell to the Abbot of Tennenbach .

19th century

View of the Lichtenthal Abbey after an engraving by Carl Ludwig Frommel from: Picturesque views of Baden and its surroundings , approx. 1823 (Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, Sign. O 71 B 61 RH)

As a result of the French Revolution, many monasteries in France and Germany fell victim to secularization . The house monastery of the Margraves of Baden was able to continue to exist: as early as November 1802, Margrave Carl Friedrich (1728–1811) had placed the abbey under sovereign administration and thus prevented its abolition. The then incumbent abbess Thekla Trück (1775-1808) and the entire convent received a modest maintenance. Nevertheless, the abbey had to struggle with severe financial losses and restrictions in its spiritual life in the period that followed. In the necrology of the monastery, Carl Friedrich was later referred to as "the second founder of Lichtenthal and the greatest benefactor".

After the Cistercian Abbey of Tennenbach was dissolved in 1806, the Lichtenthal monastery was isolated from the rest of the order. Nevertheless, it remained a haven for neighboring convents, such as B. for the Cistercian convent Wonnental. In the long run, however, the abbey was only preserved by assuming the function of a teaching and educational institution. On February 9, 1815, the "Lichtenthal Teaching Institute" was opened, which is still operated as a primary school today.

The "Affair Mone"

Friedegar Mone (1829–1900), son of the former director of the General State Archives, Franz Josef Mone , had supported his father in editing the source collection of Baden history until his death. For this they used around 200 manuscripts and prints from Lichtenthal Abbey. After the death of his father, Friedegar Mone saw himself as the legal editor of the source collection despite the cessation of pressure by the Baden Ministry of the Interior. He withheld the valuable books, erased relevant ownership notices and stated that he had bought those manuscripts and prints himself. In the 1880s he managed to sell parts of the book inventory. The Baden state then bought back a large part of the illegally sold writings, which ended up in the Großherzoglich-Badische-Bibliothek in Karlsruhe in 1889.

today

The Lichtenthal Abbey now serves the Archdiocese of Freiburg as an educational and guest house with various course programs. In addition to the solemn prayer of the hours, the nuns devote themselves to education - the primary school of the Lichtental district is located in the monastery - and to religious handicrafts. The current abbess is mother Maria Bernadette Hein. As the 46th abbess to succeed Adelgundis Selle (1989–2001), she has headed the monastery since 2001.

List of Abbesses

  1. 1247–1249: Trudlindis von Liebenstein, appointed from the Wald monastery in 1246
  2. 1249–1252: Mechtildis von Liebenstein, resigned 1252
  3. 1252–1257: Adelheidis von Crurein (Krautheim, Zurhein?), Came from the Himmelspforten monastery
  4. 1257–1258: Mechtildis von Wildenstein, came from the Wald monastery
  5. 1258–1263: Meza von Lichtenberg
  6. 1262–1295: Adelheidis of Baden
  7. 1295–1310: Kunigundis Countess von Zollern
  8. 1310–1320: Elisabeth von Lichtenberg
  9. 1320–1336: Agnes von Lichtenberg
  10. 1336–1338: Adelheidis von Beuchlingen
  11. 1338–1361: Agnes Margravine of Baden
  12. 1361–1367: Adelheid of Tübingen
  13. 1367–1373: Adelheid Countess von Herrenberg
  14. 1373–1386: Hildegard von Finstingen
  15. 1386-1413: Adelheid von Lichtenberg
  16. 1413: Johanna Countess von Leiningen
    • 1413-1423: Interim
  17. 1423– approx. 1443: Adelheid von Helfenstein, died March 16, 1447
  18. approx. 1444–1458: Elisabeth Wiest
  19. 1458–1476: Anna Strauler, died August 1, 1487
  20. 1477–1496: Margarethe Margravine of Baden (May 20, 1452– January 14, 1496)
  21. 1496–1519: Maria Margravine of Baden (July 2, 1473– January 9, 1519)
  22. 1519–1544: Rosula Röder von Hohenrodeck
  23. 1544–1551: Anna von Mörsperg
  24. 1551–1597: Barbara Vehus, died February 16, 1597
  25. 1597–1625: Margareta Stülzer (1563–22 August 1625) from Ettlingen
  26. 1625–1640: Margaretha Göll
  27. 1640–1642: Rosina Herzog
  28. 1642–1658: Maria Eva Springauf, died August 28, 1658
  29. 1658–1686: Margaretha Loys
  30. 1686–1687: Thekla Schütz, died December 13, 1687
  31. 1687–1720: Euphrosina Lorenz, died March 2, 1720
  32. March 8, 1720–1726: Agnes Polentarin, died December 26, 1726
  33. January 3, 1727–1738: Maria Euphrosina Wunsch (April 10, 1678– June 12, 1738) from Baden-Baden
  34. June 19, 1738–1775: Benedikta Grasmaier from Ellwangen, died October 23, 1775
  35. October 28, 1775–1808: Maria Thekla Trück (November 7/8, 1739– January 11, 1808) from Kuppenheim
  36. February 24, 1808–1834: Cäcilia Lauf (November 7, 1760– May 18, 1834) from Schuttertal
  37. August 25, 1834–1857: Maria Amalia (Rosina) Trenkle (February 6, 1795– November 15, 1857) from Ettenheim-Münchweier
  38. January 21, 1858–1875: Sophia Schell (1801– December 29, 1875)
  39. February 8, 1876–1880: Maria Aloysia Schreiber (July 15, 1827– April 5, 1880) from Karlsruhe
  40. May 24, 1880–1909: Maria Magdalena Kollefrath
  41. 1909–1928: Gertrudis Molz
  42. 1928–1943: Bernarda Geiler († September 28, 1947)
  43. 1943–1974: Adelgundis Lohrmann
  44. 1974–1988: Maria Lucia Reiss
  45. 1989–2001: Adelgundis Selle (July 27, 1921– January 12, 2008) from Düsseldorf
  46. since 2001: Maria Bernardette Hein (born September 25, 1958) from Koblenz-Güls

Everyday life in the monastery

Divine service and prayer in the Cistercian abbey

Since the Middle Ages, there have been five to seven hours a day for worship and three to five hours for private spiritual reading and personal prayer. An essential part of the day was the Liturgy of the Hours , which the nuns held together seven times a day, and included singing psalms, hymns and antiphonics, reading the Bible, church fathers or the lives of saints and saying prayers. The vigil was held around two in the morning . At dawn the nuns gathered in church to sing morning praises . The nuns interrupted their daily routine for the divine prayers Prim , Terz , Sext and Non , the convent mass as well as for the chapter . In addition, seasons were held for deceased members of the convent, relatives and benefactors, consisting of a vigil held on the day of remembrance and a soul mass. During the chapter , the nuns met for deliberation. In addition, they conducted elections and advised on the sale and borrowing of goods and the distribution of daily work. The chapter began with a short prayer, followed by a reading from the Martyrology and the Rule. The chapter also provided for the nuns to confess violations of the rules and statutes, for which they were punished depending on the severity: from additional days of fasting to excommunication.

Clothing of the Cistercian women

The Puritan habit of the Cistercians consisted of a white tunic, a scapular , over a long, weitärmelige cowl also unstained, with a black belt. In addition, the costume of the order included a veil, which is white for the novices, otherwise black, as well as stockings and leather strap shoes. The habit had to be worn at all times, including at night, in order to be always ready for choir prayer. The nuns were only allowed to take off the scapular for the duration of the work. During the winter time, two bowls and several tunics could be worn on top of each other. Despite the ascetic style of dress, the nuns made changes to their habits until the Tridentine reform in the 16th century, such as a cut that was based on the fashion of the time or a belt decorated with precious stones.

Work in the monastery

According to the Benedictine rule, six to eight hours a day were allotted for work, beginning after the prim and ending with sunset. This work did not represent any economic benefit, rather it served as a balance to prayer and as a means of religious self-perfection. In the Middle Ages, manual labor was reserved for farmers and artisans, while the nuns came from the nobility or the bourgeois upper class. In the 14th and 15th centuries, they often did sewing, embroidery and baking for their own benefit. A reform movement in the 15th century finally restored a rule-based life in the Lichtenthal Abbey. Writing in the Lichtenthal scriptorium under the direction of Sister Regula also flourished from around 1450.

Building history of the monastery church

Over the centuries, the monastery complex has been expanded and rebuilt several times:

Lichtenthal I

The construction of the first Lichtenthaler monastery church began in the course of the foundation of the women's monastery, as a document from 1245 says. From the monastery annals from 1248 and from a note in the oldest Lichtenthaler antiphonale, it is clear that the high altar was consecrated by the Strasbourg bishop three years after construction began, as was the burial of Margrave Hermann von Baden in front of the altar. At the same time as the consecration of the monastery church on November 3rd, 1248, the bones of Margrave Hermann V were transferred from the princely burial place in Backnang to the choir of the monastery church in Lichtenthal. In 1248 the east wing and possibly parts of the south wing were completed before the construction of the church with the altar consecration was completed in 1252.

Lichtenthal II

After 1300 a new church was built based on the model of the large high Gothic Cistercian churches in Franconia. The interior of the elongated, narrow church extends over a length of more than 56 meters with a width of 9.50 meters. A document proves the consecration of the choir, its main altar and its two side altars for November 1, 1332. During the late Gothic period, the nuns' choir was rebuilt, of which a copy from around 1624 reports. Accordingly, the consecration of the nuns' choir took place on June 11, 1470, together with a renewed consecration of the entire church.

In the Gothic monastery church, works of art from different centuries can be admired such as B. a crucifix, colored painted stone pulpit, a Madonna with child, a mural of the crucifixion, choir windows and an artistically carved choir stalls. At the initiative of the Abbess Margaretha von Baden, the abbey church was decorated with valuable works of late Gothic art towards the end of the 15th century.

The hermit chapel, built in 1678, serves as a cemetery chapel for the nuns. A stately gate, which was built in 1781, now leads into the triangular monastery, which is surrounded by a wall and which today still includes the abbey, convent, economy and school buildings, the monastery church, the prince's chapel, a hermit chapel and a fountain of Mary.

Princely Chapel

Princely Chapel

In the year of his death in 1288, Margrave Rudolf I of Baden donated the so-called Prince Chapel, which from then on served as a burial place for a total of eight generations of the Margraves of Baden. It was not until the 15th century that the parish and collegiate church in Baden-Baden took over this function from the Lichtenthal monastery. From 1424 onwards only the hearts of the deceased were buried due to lack of space, such as that of Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden on January 4, 1707. In addition to the graves, the high altar and several side altars, the princely chapel also houses the famous Madonna of the Keys. In dangerous situations, this Madonna is entrusted with the keys to the monastery. The monastery has survived every attack unscathed to this day, as is also passed down in the legends of the Baden-Baden drinking hall . The three statues above the portal of the prince's chapel come from the Allerheiligen monastery and show Saint Helena at the top , Gerungus on the left, first abbot of All Saints, and on the right Uta von Schauenburg , the founder of the All Saints monastery and a relative of the Margravine Irmengard.

Today's monastery

Since its foundation in the 13th century, the Lichtenthal monastery has existed uninterruptedly alongside the two Upper Lusatian Cistercian monasteries of St. Marienthal and St. Marienstern . It was originally called "Büren Monastery". It got its current name from the Lichtenberg family, a neighboring noble family. In 1995 the monastery celebrated its 750th anniversary. The current abbess is mother Maria Bernadette Hein. As the 46th abbess of the abbey, succeeding Adelgundis Selle (1989–2001), she has headed the monastery since 2001. In addition to the solemn prayer of the hours, the nuns devote themselves to education - the monastery has been home to the elementary school of the Baden-Baden district of Lichtental since 1980 - and the religious handicrafts. The Lichtenthal Abbey now serves the Archdiocese of Freiburg as an educational and guest house with various course programs. In addition, the monastery complex includes a psychotherapeutic practice, art workshops, a café, a monastery shop and the monastery library, which comprises around 200 volumes. Due to the special relationship with the margravial family, the Lichtenthal monastery was largely able to withstand external influences. A unique wealth of art and cultural historical evidence has been preserved in the abbey.

See also

literature

  • 750 years of Lichtenthal Abbey. 1245-1995. Cistercian abbey Lichtenthal. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary. Self-published by Lichtenthal Abbey, Baden-Baden 1995.
  • Pia Schindele: The Lichtenthal Abbey. In: Freiburg Diocesan Archive. Vol. 104 = Episode 3, Vol. 36, 1984, ISSN  0342-0213 , pp. 19-166, digitized .
  • Benedikt Bauer: The Lichtenthal convent. History, churches and antiquities. Baden-Baden, P. Weber 1896, digitized .
  • 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal. Fascination of a monastery. Exhibition of the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe February 25–21. May 1995, ed .: Harald Siebenmorgen, Thorbecke Verlag, Sigmaringen 1995, ISBN 3799503021 and Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, ISBN 3923132395 .
  • The manuscripts of the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe, Vol. 11: The manuscripts of Lichtenthal , described by Felix Heinzer and Gerhard Stamm, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1987, digitized .

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exh. Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 9, 23-34, 71-83 .
  2. ↑ a b Cistercian Abbey Lichtenthal (ed.): Kloster Lichtenthal - 750 years. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary . Baden-Baden 1995, p. 24-33 .
  3. ↑ Cistercian Abbey Lichtenthal (ed.): Kloster Lichtenthal - 750 years. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary . Baden-Baden 1995, p. 26 .
  4. ↑ Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exh. Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 23 .
  5. ^ Zorn, Henning: Kloster Lichtenthal. Past and present . Baden-Baden 1995.
  6. ↑ Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exh. Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 63-70 .
  7. ↑ Schindele, Pia Maria OCist: The Abbey Lichtenthal . In: Freiburg Diocesan Archive . tape 104 , no. 36 , 1984, pp. 19–166 ( uni-freiburg.de ).
  8. ↑ Cistercian Abbey Lichtenthal (ed.): Kloster Lichtenthal - 750 years. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary . Baden-Baden 1995, p. 59 .
  9. ↑ Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exh. Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 357 ff .
  10. ↑ Cistercian Abbey Lichtenthal (ed.): Kloster Lichtenthal - 750 years. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary . Baden-Baden 1995, p. 59 .
  11. ↑ Heinzer, Felix; Stamm, Gerhard: The manuscripts of Lichtenthal. With e. Anh .: The manuscripts from the 12th to 16th centuries that are still in the Lichtenthal monastery today . Wiesbaden 1987, p. 22nd ff .
  12. ^ Archdiocese of Freiburg: Bildungshäuser . Online at www.erzbistum-freiburg.de. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  13. ^ Walther Möller: Family tables of West German aristocratic families in the Middle Ages . Vol. 3 = Manfred Dreiss (Hrsg.): Library of Classical Works of Genealogy Vol. 2.3. Darmstadt 1936. ND: Neustadt an der Aisch 1996, plate 95.
  14. ↑ Andreas Wilits: everyday life and material culture in late medieval Frauenzisterzen . In: Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exhib.-Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 49 f .
  15. ^ Andreas Wilts: Everyday life and material culture in late medieval women's cisterns . In: Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exhib.-Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 55 f .
  16. ^ Andreas Wilts: Everyday life and material culture in late medieval women's cisterns . In: Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exhib.-Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 50 ff .
  17. ^ A b Ernst Coester: The monastery church Lichtenthal. A building in the style of the powerful Gothic of southern German Cistercian churches . In: Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exhib.-Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 85 ff .
  18. ↑ Cistercian Abbey Lichtenthal (ed.): Kloster Lichtenthal - 750 years. Festschrift for the monastery anniversary . Baden-Baden 1995, p. 41 .
  19. ↑ MP Schindele O. Cist .: The Lichtenthal Monastery from the 16th to the 20th century . In: Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exhib.-Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 133 .
  20. ↑ Siebenmorgen, Harald (Ed.): Exh. Cat. 750 years of the Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal . Sigmaringen 1995, p. 5 .
  21. ^ Geißendörfer, P .: Churches and monasteries of the Cistercians. The evangelical heritage in ecumenical neighborhood in Germany, Austria and Switzerland . Lindenberg 2016, p. 251 .