Melker monastery reform

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Melk Abbey

The Melk Monastery Reform , or Melk Reform for short, was a monastic reform movement that began in the 15th century from Melk Abbey in Lower Austria and soon spread to the other Benedictine monasteries in Austria and southern Bavaria .

Origin, history and goals of the reform

The Council of Constance (1414-1418) endeavored to initiate a general reform of the church. This also included criticism of the secularization of the monks and the associated grievances in the monasteries. That is why the council also formulated the demand for a renewal of monastic life. The Italian Benedictine Abbey of Subiaco became the starting point and model for this reform . Following the example of this Italian monastery, all Benedictine monasteries should realign their lives to the ideals of the Benedictine Rule .

Duke Albrecht V of Austria wanted to start reforming the monasteries in his domain in the Melk Abbey in Lower Austria . During a visit to the Melk monastery in 1418 Abbot John III. Flaming discontinued. Equipped with a pension, he left the monastery. Nikolaus Seyringer (1418-25), who came from the monastery of S. Anna in Rocca di Mondragona, a priory dependent on the Abbey of Subiaco, was appointed as the new abbot in Melk . At the same time, the Consuetudines (way of life) of the Subiaco monastery were introduced in Melk . Under him and his successors, Melk became a model of strict monastic discipline .

Principles of reform:

  • Try to live strictly according to the Rule of Benedict, d. H. Alignment of monastic life with common prayer times as well as the fight against secularization of monks and abbots
  • Removal of the restriction of admission to the monastery to nobles
  • Promotion of scientific work in the spirit of humanism (study of the old source texts)

Due to the intensive contacts of the Melk Monastery with the University of Vienna , the Melk Reform combined the monastic renewal program with the concerns of conciliarism , i. H. with the conviction that general councils must be held regularly for the necessary reform of the church in head and members. The Viennese theologian Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl played an important role in the reform movement.

The reform efforts in Melk Abbey quickly spread to all Benedictine monasteries in Austria and southern Bavaria. Numerous monasteries not only took over the lifestyle of the Melk monastery, but also received monks from Melk as abbots. The introduction and implementation of the Melk reform resulted in a new flourishing and a real renewal of monastic life in many monasteries. However, the desired merger of the reformed monasteries into a congregation did not succeed (unlike the Bursfeld reform movement in northern Germany). This may be one reason why, soon in the age of the Reformation (after 1520), monastic life in the newly reformed monasteries collapsed again unusually quickly.

Individual measures of the Melk monastery reform

  • Revival of the Benedictine Rule , especially the " Vita communis "
  • Strict observance of the fasting order
  • Strict adherence to the poverty vow
  • Elevation of monastic discipline
  • Introduction of new statutes and constitutions
  • Introduction of new and stricter consuetudines (customs)
  • Reform of the liturgy and the celebration of mass according to the Roman Missal
  • Resumption of scripture reading in the convent
  • Increase in the number of monastery members by removing entry restrictions
  • Removal of the nobility privilege when accepting new monks
  • Promote the admission of non-aristocratic monks
  • Promotion of the entry of doctors and professors in theology
  • Admission of well-trained monks
  • Admission of lay brothers
  • Send the young monks to the universities
  • Relocation of unruly monks to small convents
  • Removal of exclusively foreign-language monks z. B. in the Schottenkloster in Vienna
  • Appointment of reform abbots
  • Separation of spiritual and secular monastic offices
  • Introduction of a novice master
  • Introduction of a "magister studentium" (teacher) for the trivium of the monastery candidates
  • Renewal of school operations in the monasteries
  • Renewal of the library system
  • Increase in the number of books
  • Reintroduction of the scriptoria
  • Construction of new monastery buildings, especially monastery libraries
  • Broadening the economic base of the monasteries

Spread of the Melk monastery reform

Mainly through monastery visitations, the reform spread from Melk Abbey over all of southern Germany.

The Melker Reform was adopted by the following monasteries:

Male monasteries

Benedictine convents

Monasteries influenced by the Melk Reform

To Bursfeld Reform vice waved monasteries

literature

  • Albert Groiß: Late medieval way of life of the Benedictines from the Melker Observanz against the background of their customs. A descriptive commentary on the Caeremoniale Melicense of 1460 (contributions to the history of ancient monasticism and Beneditinism, vol. 46), Münster 1999.
  • Karl Suso Frank: Principles of the History of Christian Monasticism , Darmstadt 1979.
  • Meta Niederkorn-Bruck : The Melker Reform as reflected in the visitations (communications from the Institute for Austrian Historical Research, Supplementary Volume 30), Vienna / Munich 1994.
  • Ph. Schmitz: History of the Benedictine Order , 4 vols., Einsiedeln 1947–1960.
  • Meta Niederkorn : Melker Reform. In: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon . Online edition, Vienna 2002 ff., ISBN 3-7001-3077-5 ; Print edition: Volume 3, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-7001-3045-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tina Padlesak: Stift Göß and the Melker Reform . wien 2012 ( univie.ac.at [accessed April 25, 2019] uniwien).