Schluechtern Monastery
The Schlüchtern monastery is essentially a high medieval former Benedictine abbey in Schlüchtern in the upper Kinzig valley , in front of the southwestern end of the transition of the Via Regia over the low mountain range to Fulda .
| Benedictine monastery Schlüchtern | |
|---|---|
 West facade of the church, left: Huttenkapelle, right former apartment of the abbot |
|
| location |
Germany Hessen |
| Coordinates: | 50 ° 20 '45.4 " N , 9 ° 31' 30.2" E |
| Patronage | Maria |
| founding year | 8th century |
| Year of dissolution / annulment |
1609 |
| Mother monastery | Fulda Monastery |
middle Ages
The abbey was dedicated to Saint Mary . The oldest preserved building structure, a crypt , comes from the early Carolingian period and is structurally related to facilities from the area around the Fulda monastery . The beginnings of the monastery are beyond this architectural finding, but in the dark.
The history of the monastery is documented from the end of the 10th century: in 993 the monastery was transferred to the diocese of Würzburg . This is based on a - at the time forged and dated to the year 788 - document. After a violent argument with the abbot Bero, who then had to leave in 1116, the conventuals elected their abbot themselves. In 1213, St. Michael 's Church was incorporated into the monastery. The monastery flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1334 the monastery was excommunicated because after the double election of bishops in Würzburg in 1333 ( Hermann II. Hummel von Lichtenberg against Otto II. Von Wolfskeel ) it had decided in favor of the former. But after he had died in 1335, the monastery was in a difficult situation with the remaining bishop Otto II von Wolfskeel. He did not recognize Abbot Hartmann II, elected by the convent in 1335 . This had to resign. His successor, Hermann I , came from the Fulda monastery and had great difficulties asserting himself against the convent. In 1344 he therefore went to the Benedictine Abbey of St. Stephan in Würzburg as abbot .
Abbots
| Surname | time | annotation |
| Sigizio | 1018-1029 | † April 7, 1029 |
| ? | ? | immediate successor unknown |
| Ebo | Called 1099 | possibly until 1106 |
| Bero | 1106-1116 | In 1116 he went to the Lambach monastery as abbot |
| Wortwin | Called 1118 | |
| ? | ? | immediate successor unknown |
| Swiss chard | 1144-1160 | |
| Ulrich I. | 1166, called 1167 | |
| Wolbrand | approx. 1184 – approx. 1192 | Unsure evidence |
| Johann I. | 1192, 1196 mentioned | |
| Hugo | 1220, named 1221 | |
| Dietrich I. | Called 1226 | |
| Wiegand | Called 1249 | |
| Ulrich II. | Called 1270 | "Oldarich" |
| Konrad I. | 1274-1278 | First abbot whose seal has been handed down. |
| Heinrich | Called 1279 | only one mention |
| Konrad II. | Called 1282 | only one mention; † before 1299 |
| Hartmann I. | 1299-1332 | |
| Hartmann II. Von Katzenbiß | 1335 | Resignation 1336, † 1347 |
| Hermann I of Reith | 1336-1344 | Elected abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Stephan in Würzburg in 1344 ; † 1357 |
| Hartmann III. | 1345-1365 | |
| Hermann II. | 1365 | |
| Berthold | 1366-1369 | |
| Wilhelm I of Lauter | 1370-1398 | |
| Dietrich II von Faulhaber | 1398-1436 | Resignation; † 1443 |
| Johann II. Zollner | 1436-1456 | |
| Johann III. from Gils | 1457-1470 | 1470 sold; † after 1478 |
| Wilhelm II of Lauter | 1470-1471 | |
| Christian I. Heydloff | 1471-1498 | |
| Christian II. Happ | 1498-1534 | |
| Petrus Lotichius (Peter Lotz) | 1534-1567 | introduces the Reformation |
| Siegfried Hettenus | 1567-1585 | Protestant , married |
| Nikolaus I Daniel called Schönbub | 1585-1592 | evangelical |
| Johann IV. Wankel | 1592-1609 | evangelical |
Bailiwick
The bailiwick of the monastery was held by a number of regional noble families, the last of which, Hanau , gradually incorporated this institution into their own regional rule in the 15th and 16th centuries .
| Period | House | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1099 | unknown | ||
| 1099 | from Grumbach-Rothenfels | First mentioned in 1099 | |
| Trimberg court | Southern half | ||
| 1243/1245 | from Trimberg | from Steckelberg-Brandenstein | For political reasons, the heirs of the von Grumbach family, the Counts of Rieneck-Rothenfels, did not get a chance at first. |
| 1303 | from Trimberg | from kitchen master | pledged. |
| 1307 | from Trimberg | from Rieneck-Rothenfels | The heirs of the von Grumbach family still have a chance. |
| 1316 | from Trimberg | from Hanau | The last of the Rieneck-Rothenfels line is sold to Hanau |
| 1366 | from Hanau | from Hanau | The last of the Trimberg line pledged to Hanau |
| 1371 | Trimberg sells to von Hoelin | from Hanau | The last of the Trimberg line sells to von Hoelin |
| 1377 | from Hanau | Hoelin sells to Hanau | |
| around 1500 | from Hanau | The bailiwick is part of the sovereignty of the Counts of Hanau. | |
- ↑ The last heiress of those von Grumbach-Rothenfels was with Ludwig III. von Rieneck (-Rothenfels) married.
- ↑ Northern half of the Vogtei and the village of Niederzell south of Schlüchtern .
- ^ Area south of the Kinzig without the village of Niederzell.
State rule Hanau
In 1316 Ulrich II. Von Hanau bought half of the Schlüchtern court, which also included the bailiwick of the monastery, from the Counts of Rieneck . Legally, it was a fiefdom of the Bishop of Würzburg , who agreed to this sale. Until the election of the abbot Wilhelm I in 1370, the appointment of the abbot in the Schlüchtern monastery depends on two factors: In many cases, an election by the monastery is proven and the appointment by the bishop of Würzburg is required, but the bailiff is not verifiable. Hanau received the second half of the court and the bailiwick of Schlüchtern in 1377 in exchange for the “ Büttert ” castle . So had Hanau now held the entire Bailiwick. At the same time, the monastery became increasingly indebted, a phenomenon that set in with many other large landowners of the time when they switched from natural economy to money economy . In the case of church institutions, there was also the fact that their economic decline went hand in hand with the secularization of the conventuals and the church as a whole fell into a credibility crisis that ultimately led to the Reformation . In the Schlüchtern monastery, this crisis led to a violent dispute between the convent and the abbot about what income the convent as a whole and which the abbot alone. In 1413 the dispute under Abbot Dietrich II escalated to such an extent that both parties sought help and arbitration from outside, with the diocesan bishop in Würzburg , Johann II von Brunn , and the governor, Reinhard II von Hanau . The arbitration was not permanently successful. In the 1430s the conflict flared up again and the abbot was also accused of neglecting his religious duties. Under pressure from Reinhard II, who had meanwhile risen to the rank of Count , Dietrich II had to resign in 1436. The count also presented the bishop with a successor: Abbot Johann II . From that time on, the Vogt influenced the abbot's successor. On the election of the following abbot, Johann III. , Count Philipp I of Hanau-Munzenberg exercised massive influence in 1457. The abbot was probably elected by the convent - as was customary up to now - but he then had to confirm to the count that he had become abbot through his influence and that he was granted extensive control rights over the monastery. Amazingly, the Bishop of Würzburg raised no objections and confirmed Johann III. in his office. Ten years later the monastery was in turmoil: the prior and the convent were in resolute opposition to their abbot, who was accused of wastefulness and worldly lifestyle. The dispute escalated: litigation took place in front of the Curia in Rome, the Count and Bishop of Würzburg tried to mediate: in vain. Finally, Count Philip I deposed the abbot on October 22, 1470. The choice of the successor, Christian I, probably took place under the massive influence of the Hanau Count, although there is no evidence of this. But for the election of his successor, Christian II., In 1498, the presence of envoys from the Count of Hanau is documented. In the next election, when Petrus Lotichius (Peter Lotz) took office, there is no direct evidence of Hanau's influence. This abbot opens the monastery of the Reformation, so he needs a strong ally against the Roman Catholic diocese of Würzburg and is therefore very close to the Counts of Hanau. The next two abbots, Siegfried Hettenus (1567–1585) and Nikolaus I (1585–1592) are Protestant and must swear allegiance to the Hanau Count when they take office. The guardianship of Count Philip Ludwig II , who was still underage, forbids the last abbot, Johann IV, to even use his own seal: he has thus become a Hanau official, and the monastery has been incorporated into the rulership of the state .
After Johann IV's death in 1609, Melchior Goldast applied to Count Philipp Ludwig II of Hanau-Münzenberg for the post of abbot. However, the count pursued a strictly reformed church policy, so that the continuation of a monastery did not seem opportune to him. He did not fill the position again, but gave Melchior Goldast the title of honorary councilor.
Modern times
The monastery was temporarily abandoned during the Peasants' War in 1525. From 1540 - as in the entire county of Hanau - the Reformation was gradually introduced in Schlüchtern. The first external sign of this was the marriage of the conventual Johannes Widmann (Salicetus) to the Schlüchtern bourgeois daughter Elisabeth Nothacker. He then had to leave the monastery, but became a pastor in Windecken , a position he held until his death in 1555. The monastic constitution was maintained until 1609 and the monastery continued to operate as a Latin school .
The property as a Würzburg fiefdom led to tensions between the county and the diocese of Würzburg after the Reformation. A long-standing process before the Reich Chamber of Commerce lasted from 1571 to 1624 and ended with a restitution mandate in favor of Würzburg. 1628–1631 Schlüchtern monastery and office were therefore occupied by Würzburg, 1631–1637 again by Hanau and from 1637 again by Würzburg. In 1656 a settlement was reached in which Hanau prevailed against Würzburg in Schlüchtern and left Orb to the diocese for it . Hanau had already gradually incorporated the monastery into its rulership . Since the election of Abbot Johann III. In 1457 the abbots took an oath of loyalty to the Count of Hanau-Münzenberg when they took office . The last abbot of the monastery, John IV , was then appointed in 1592 without an election by the sovereign. The monastery was used as a grammar school in the post-Reformation period .
With the death of the last Hanau count, Johann Reinhard III. , the office - together with the entire county of Hanau and also the monastery - fell to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel , whose regent was made elector in 1803 . In the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) the monastery church was destroyed and in 1820 its choir was demolished. The grammar school that had used the monastery buildings fell victim to the school reform of Grand Duke Karl Theodor von Dalberg in 1812, whose territory, the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt , included Schlüchtern from 1810 to 1813. In 1836 a teachers' seminar was built into the facility by the state, with extensive remodeling of the medieval building fabric.
Building history
Carolingian period
The oldest surviving component is the western section of the early Carolingian crypt mentioned above. It is related to similar structures in the Benedictine monastery in Petersberg near Fulda and the Einhards basilica in Michelstadt- Steinbach. The Carolingian Church was - as archaeological evidence shows - three aisles.
Romanesque
In the 11th century, the church was extended to the west in Romanesque style and there was completed with a tower, which was later rebuilt in Gothic style, with older spolia being used. The Katharinenkapelle was also built in the 11th century as a western extension of the south aisle . Here are the tombstones of Tamburg von Hutten († 1354) and Abbot Petrus Lotichius († 1567).
At the beginning of the 13th century, the church was also expanded to the east: a barrel-vaulted niche was added to the crypt as a new east end , the choir was lengthened and the choirs of the aisles were expanded into side chapels. The northern one, the Andreas chapel , has been preserved to this day. Remains of the choir wall with pilaster strips and arched friezes in the otherwise Gothic northeast tower can also be found as traces from this era .
Gothic
The north aisle received the two-storey Huttenkapelle as a western extension in the middle of the 14th century , a donation from Frowin von Hutten and his wife Tamburg.
In the first half of the 15th century, the nave of the church was largely demolished and replaced by a Gothic hall church , which was consecrated in 1446 . A part of the pillars of the nave used Carolingian foundations. At the same time the northeast tower was built.
Another Gothic chapel was integrated into the west wing of the cloister , which was built later .
Renaissance
Most of the monastery buildings were rebuilt in the Renaissance style between 1508 and 1519 with a richly designed western front with a stepped gable and a round stair tower. A bay porch was added in 1583. The well-preserved, cross-vaulted monastery kitchen, which has its own well, can be reached from the southwest corner of the cloister .
historicism
In the 19th century, the facility was converted into a teachers' seminar and was badly damaged: False ceilings were drawn into the church, the medieval window openings were bricked up and new ones - according to the needs of a seminar building - were broken into the walls.
Nonetheless, with this approach - which avoided total demolition - a large number of medieval building traces have been preserved, which have made the monastery buildings a particularly interesting architectural object. In some cases, the buildings were also historically "improved", B. the west tower is equipped with a neo-Romanesque portal.
Gravesites
- Tamburg von Hutten († 1354)
- Margarethe von Ebersberg († 1356)
- Frowin von Hutten († 1377)
- Raven von Hutten († 1529)
- Abbot Christian Happ († 1534)
- Abbot Petrus Lotichius († 1567)
- Count Albrecht von Hanau († 1614)
- Katharina von Hutten († 1617)
- Kunigunde of Trümbach († 1621)
Todays use
The facility is used today by the Ulrich von Hutten High School and the Church Music Training Center (KMF). With modern extensions to the school, extensive interventions have been made in the monastery grounds, a valuable ground monument , in recent years .
The Michaelskirche serves as the church of the Evangelical Church Community Schlüchtern , which belongs to the church district Schlüchtern of the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck .
literature
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments . Hesse. Munich 1982.
- Wilhelm Dersch: Hessisches Klosterburch. Source studies on the history of the founders, monasteries and branches of religious cooperatives founded in the administrative district of Cassel, the province of Upper Hesse and the Principality of Waldeck. Marburg 1915, p. 108f.
- Reinhard Dietrich : Archaeological investigations in the Andreas chapel of the Schlüchtern monastery. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter. 30, 1988, pp. 327-334.
- Peter Jüngling : Schlüchtern Benedictine Abbey. In: S. Wolfram, P. Jüngling, H.-O. Schmitt (arrangement): Hanau and the Main-Kinzig district. Guide to arch. Monuments in Germany. Volume 27, Stuttgart 1994, pp. 239-244.
- Friedhelm Juergensmeier, Regina Elisabeth Schwerdtfeger: The monastic and nunnery monasteries of the Cistercians in Hesse and Thuringia. (= Germania Benedictina. Volume IV). Sankt Ottilien 2011, ISBN 978-3-8306-7450-4 .
- Uwe Kretschmann: Cloister and inner courtyard of the Schlüchtern monastery. Ways to reconstruct the original state of construction . In: Our home. Messages from the Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Bergwinkel eV Schlüchtern 21 (2005), pp. 4–17.
- Uwe Kretschmann: predecessor of the Huttenkapelle . In: Our home. Messages from the home and history association Bergwinkel eV Schlüchtern 19 (2003), pp. 45–50.
- Konrad Lübeck : The beginnings of the Schlüchtern monastery. In: Journal of the Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies. No. 62, year 1940, OCLC 886392975 .
- Matthias Nistahl: Studies on the history of the Schlüchtern monastery in the Middle Ages (= sources and research on Hessian history. Volume 65). Historical Commission Darmstadt and Historical Commission for Hesse, Darmstadt 1986, ISBN 3-88443-154-4 . (Dissertation University of Marburg 1984)
- Wilhelm Praesent: A walk through the Schlüchtern monastery. 2nd Edition. In the commission publishing house of the Evangelical Community of Schlüchtern, 1970.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nistahl, p. 63ff.
- ↑ Information from Nistahl, p. 189ff.
- ↑ Nistahl, pp. 193-201.
- ↑ Nistahl, p. 201.
- ↑ Max Aschkewitz: Pastor history of the Hanau district (“Hanauer Union”) until 1986. Part 1 (= publications of the Historical Commission for Hesse. 33). Marburg 1984, p. 352.
- ↑ Dersch.
- ^ Ralf Schumacher: The political integration of the Principality of Hanau into the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt. In: Hanauer Geschichtsverein 1844 eV: Hanau in the Napoleonic era (= Hanauer Geschichtsblätter. 47). Hanau approx. 2015, ISBN 978-3-935395-21-3 , p. 164.
- ↑ Kretschmann: Predecessor , p. 48.
- ↑ See Dietrich, pp. 327–334.
- ↑ Kretschmann: previous building .
- ↑ Dietrich, pp. 327-334.
- ↑ Entry on http://www.kirchbau.de / .
