Königstein ball pen
The Königstein Kugelherrenstift was a monastery of the Brothers of Common Life ("Kugelherren") in Königstein im Taunus , which existed from 1446 to 1540.
Foundation, endowment
Eberhard III. von Eppstein-Münzenberg donated the Kugelherrenstift in Königstein on February 3, 1465 in agreement with the top management of the order. A monastery with 12 monks was planned. For financing purposes, the count provided the property under the castle gate, on which the Kugelherrenhaus was to be built, and the chamber property on the Romertskopf with 14 acres as well as other partial areas. The monastery should be free from all taxes.
The construction of the monastery required the approval of the responsible bishop. The Archbishop of Mainz Apdolph II of Nassau (Eberhard had married his sister and was therefore his brother-in-law) granted this approval with a document dated August 23, 1466. The parish church of St. Marien in Königstein was incorporated into the monastery. The parish fund and seven altar foundations were thus also available to the monastery. The right of patronage should lie with Count Eberhard or his heirs. On March 20, Pope Paul II approved the foundation of the monastery in a bull .
In the course of time, further donations were made, both from Count Eberhard and his son Philipp von Eppstein-Königstein and from citizens of Königstein.
The ball house
Immediately after the foundation, construction of the Kugelhaus began. On March 23, 1465, Count Eberhard laid the foundation stone in a solemn ceremony . The ball house was located below the castle gate and was crowned by two towers. Both towers each carried a bell. The complex also included a chapel and organ that had 150 tin pipes. The equipment also included a library with valuable writings. After completion, the canonical construction of the monastery took place on June 19, 1467.
The rectors
Heinrich de Tulpeto ( Zülpich ) was appointed first rector of the monastery with a certificate of appointment dated July 16, 1467 . Heinrich had previously been a monk in the Kugelhaus in Weidenbach in Cologne.
On April 8, 1478, Antonius Holycher von Remich was admitted to the monastery, who was first mentioned as rector in 1499. But he must have become rector at an earlier point in time. The date of his death is also not known.
It is therefore not clear when Wilhelmus Stenbach, the third rector, took over his office. However, the date of his death on December 12, 1525 has been passed down.
The fourth and final rector was Johannes von Bingen.
reformation
The Reformation began to gather its first supporters in the County of Königstein as early as the time of the Imperial Count Eberhard IV (Eppstein-Königstein) . The community of ball gentlemen was also divided by the new ideas. Ludwig zu Stolberg , the new count, was a staunch supporter of Luther . More and more monks left Königstein to settle in other monasteries in the Catholic parts of Germany.
The monks who had converted to Protestantism also withdrew. In 1538 Johannes von Bingen asked Count Ludwig zu Stolberg for permission to leave the monastery and marry.
Ludwig zu Stolberg promoted these efforts and officially introduced the Reformation on August 5, 1540 according to the church regulations of Count Wolfgang von Pfalz-Zweibrücken in Königstein.
Dissolution of the monastery
The last three remaining members of the monastery dissolved the monastery in a contract with Count Ludwig on August 6, 1540. All rights and property were transferred to the count. In return, the count undertook to rebuild the monastery if there were general church regulations in the HRR again. The treaty came into force on August 24, 1540.
The ball house was now used by Hofmann Thielemann from Ober-Erlenbach . In 1575 the Frankfurt merchant Johann Wolf Kelner received the loan from the house. The Kugelhaus remained in the possession of the Kelner family until 1645. In 1645 they had to swap the house with the chaplain house.
On March 16, 1646, the Kugelhaus was awarded to the newly founded Capuchin Monastery of Königstein .
Kugelherrnstrasse in Königstein im Taunus is reminiscent of the former monastery.
swell
literature
- Franz Alois Como: The collegiate monastery of the Kugelherren at St. Marien zu Königstein im Taunus, 1962
- Beate Großmann-Hofmann, Hans-Curt Köster: Königstein im Taunus. History and Art, Königstein i. Ts. 2010, ISBN 978-3-7845-0778-1 , page 19
- Wolfgang Leesch, Ernest Persoons a. Anton G. Weiler (Ed.): Monasticon Fratrum Vitae Communis , Part II: Germany (= Archives et Bibliothèques de Belgique, Numéro Spécial 19), Brussels 1979, Königstein: pp. 121–125 (Hermann Langkabel)
Coordinates: 50 ° 10 '59 " N , 8 ° 27' 45.9" E