Sielmönken Monastery

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Homestead in Sielmönken Monastery

Monastery Sielmönken was initially the St. Martin and in the last years of its existence Mary consecrated monastery between Uttum and Freepsum about ten kilometers northwest of Emden in East Friesland .

history

The exact founding date of the monastery is unknown. Possibly Sielmönken (also: Silo) belonged with other branches of the Benedictine order to a monastery association that goes back to the Holy Hatebrand († 1198). He was abbot of the Feldwirth monastery near Appingedam , which is considered the mother monastery of the East Frisian Benedictine monasteries. Sielmönken was, like the other early settlements of the order in East Friesland, a double monastery. Even if male inmates are not occupied, this is inferred from the name of the abbey.

As early as 1255 the abbot appeared in a notarization, so that the establishment must have taken place before this year. The first seat of the Benedictine settlement was possibly Freepsum , because the document speaks of an abbas de Frebestum , but the seal speaks of the SIGIL (UM) […] ERBRANDI [AB] BATIS DE SILO . Further tradition is limited to the naming of a few abbots until the middle of the 15th century.

In 1444 the monastery was restructured, the nuns were divided between the Marienthal monastery in the north and the Thedinga monastery near Leer . Monks are not mentioned in this context.

From then on Augustinian monks settled in Sielmönken . The initiative for the conversion came from Marienkamp Abbey , which had also been handed over to the Augustinians shortly before. Marienkamp had the support of the later Count Ulrich I , who obtained permission for this step from the patrons of Sielmönken, the chiefs Wiard von Uphusen and Siebrand von Eilsum. In 1540 the Pope confirmed the conversion. In the following years, Sielmönken gained reputation, which is proven by rich donations from chiefs and private individuals. For example, Chief Keno von Loquard gave the inmates an outbuilding in Logum. The Convention also played a major role in draining the region. Presumably it maintained a sewer at the monastery site and was involved in another one in Hinte.

Around 1490 the construction of a new monastery church began, which was consecrated in 1505. The Freepsumer Meer also belonged to the monastery for a time . During the Geldrian feud , Balthasar von Esens robbed and destroyed the monastery in 1531. After that, however, it was probably partially rebuilt.

It is not known exactly when the abolition of the monastery took place. A prior was named for the last time in 1556. The demolition of the monastery buildings probably began around 1560. The last news from the monastery also dates from this year. Some of the buildings were preserved until the 19th century. A rural homestead has long been located on what is now the former monastery terp . There are various archaeological finds in the Wurt area, such as bricks and shaped stones, but also common consumer goods such as ceramics or bone whorls . To the north of it, a bronze key was discovered during earthworks, which shows a representation of an animal in the shield with its head turned back, and a needle made of the same material. It is also decorated with an animal head, from whose mouth a volute wreath protrudes, with three metal cones hanging from eyelets on both sides. So far it is unclear whether these finds come from graves or got into the ground in some other way.

The bell of the monastery church, made by Arent van Wou in 1508, is now in the church of Canhusen . The organ of the monastery church is said to have been moved to the Uttum church after the Reformation .

In the 17th century, the monastery building temporarily served as a residence for Uko Walles and his family. Uko Walles was an Anabaptist from Groningen who , with the Ukowallists, was able to establish a separate group within the Dutch-North German Anabaptist movement that existed for a short time .

Economic activity

According to the chronicler Ubbo Emmius, Sielmönken was the richest and most beautiful monastery in the Emsigerland. It maintained Vorwerke in Koldewehr (first mentioned in 1452) and Loquard (from 1494). The monastery was possibly involved in several columns and maintained a mill (first mentioned in 1452), which was probably located in the immediate vicinity of the monastery complex. In 1491 Sielmönken owned a brick factory.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Josef Dolle: Sielmönken . In: Josef Dolle with the collaboration of Dennis Kniehauer (Ed.): Lower Saxony Monastery Book. Directory of the monasteries, monasteries, comedians and beguinages in Lower Saxony and Bremen from the beginnings to 1810 . Part 2, Bielefeld 2012, ISBN 3-89534-958-5 , p. 1363 ff.
  2. ^ Wilhelm Kohl: Germania sacra: Historical-statistical description of the church of the old empire , Berlin, 1999, p. 500
  3. ^ Archaeological Service of the East Frisian Landscape: Fundchronik 1999
  4. ↑ Article: Canhusen can keep up with Cologne Cathedral in the Ostfriesen-Zeitung of December 31, 2012 ; Accessed May 17, 2013
  5. ↑ Local chronicles of the East Frisian landscape: Uttum, municipality of Krummhörn, district of Aurich (PDF; 849 kB)
  6. ↑ Uko Walles. (PDF; 62 kB) East Frisian Landscape, accessed on August 25, 2012 .

Coordinates: 53 ° 25 ′ 41.1 ″  N , 7 ° 9 ′ 4.2 ″  E