Münster (church)

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Ulm Minster, largest Protestant church since the Reformation , highest church tower in the world

Münster is an early German loan word from Greek / Latin monasterium (= " monastery "). This originally referred to a church that was not a parish church , but part of a monastery or monastery . Also cathedrals were so called because the cathedral chapter originally lived in monastery-like community.

From the 13th century, the word took the general meaning "Great Church" to so in the southern German -speaking countries with "Munster" except cathedrals and collegiate churches also some large city parishes were designated as such. The name “Münster” is now a traditional name for certain churches; it can also be awarded by the responsible bishop. In 1983, for example, Bishop Georg Moser raised the church of St. Johannes in Bad Mergentheim to the status of a cathedral; In Austria this designation was awarded for the first time in 2020, namely to the Schruns parish church .

Finally, "Münster" also became the place name of settlements that arose around an abbey , collegiate or cathedral monastery .

The English word minster , also borrowed early from monasterium , has the same history of meaning. The later borrowing monastery , however, retained the meaning "monastery". The old French word moutier also developed from monasterium , which also took on the meaning of church , but which has survived in today's French almost only in place names and family names.

places

At the following places there are churches called Münster today :

Germany

Bonn Minster
Constance Minster 1819,
still without a spire
Kastulusmünster Moosburg
Münsterschwarzach
Schwäbisch Gmünd, Heilig-Kreuz-Münster

Austria

In Austria, the name is largely unusual, there are only a few so-called splendid collegiate and parish churches.

The Basel Minster , until the Reformation episcopal church

Switzerland

Belgium

England

In addition, cathedrals in England are often referred to as “Minster”, for example “ York Minster ” instead of “York Cathedral”, as are the cathedrals in Lincoln , Ripon and Southwell .

Westminster Abbey is the best known of the abbeys that have the term "-minster" in their names .

France

In France, the name occurs mainly in the former German Alsace .

Strasbourg Cathedral

Luxembourg

  • Luxembourg : Neumünster Abbey , goes back to the Benedictine monastery Altmünster, which was destroyed in 1542, now a cultural center

Netherlands

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: Münster  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. st-johannes-mgh.drs.de: Münster St. Johannes Baptist
  2. ^ Joachim Schwald: Schruns parish church becomes Austria's first minster. In: Vorarlberger Nachrichten (VN.at). March 3, 2020, accessed March 4, 2020 .
  3. ^ Joachim Schwald: Schruns parish church becomes Austria's first minster. In: Vorarlberger Nachrichten (VN.at). March 3, 2020, accessed March 4, 2020 .