Michael (Münsterschwarzach)

Abbot Michael's seal

Michael (* in the 15th century in Gerolzhofen ; † October 10, 1504 in Münsterschwarzach ) was abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Münsterschwarzach from 1494 to 1503 .

Münsterschwarzach before Michael

The interior of Münsterschwarzach Abbey was deeply divided throughout the entire 15th century. Several abbots were appointed by the lords of the monastery, the prince-bishops of Würzburg, because of the disagreement in the convent. In 1409, Kaspar von Schaumberg was even appointed by a decree of the Pope . The chiefs appointed in this way also mostly ran their farms in their own pockets and thus contributed to the monastery's debt.

In this situation, the Würzburg bishops tried to re-establish monastic life by bringing monks from other, already reformed monasteries to Münsterschwarzach from the second half of the 15th century. Under Michael's predecessor Abbot Martin , Münsterschwarzach joined the ideas of the Congregation of Bursfelde in 1480 . At the same time, the first efforts to repay debt were made.

Life

Michael was born in Gerolzhofen in Lower Franconia in the 15th century . Nothing is known about his family environment and his parents. Later it is only passed down as a professorship in Münsterschwarzach . Within the monastery he is said to have taken over the financial management and the office of prior for eighteen years . In this role he will also have come into contact for the first time with the visitors of the Bursfeld Congregation who visited the monastery in the 1580s.

The death of his predecessor Martin made it necessary to elect an abbot in 1494, from which Michael emerged victorious. Different dates are available about the exact date of the election. While Kassius Hallinger assumes a date between February 25 and March 29, 1494, Heinrich Wagner assumes Lent Sunday of the same year. The first official act that has been handed down followed on August 31, 1494. Michael swore the oath in Erfurt on the ideas of the Bursfeld Congregation.

The following year Abbot Michael was infuriated . This was followed by participation in several general chapters of the Bursfeld Congregation, which sought to gain more and more influence over the abbey. Michael was present in Erfurt in 1494, 1497, 1500 and 1502. He tried to excuse the monastery by selling goods and rights. In 1500, 1501 and 1502 the congregation appointed visitors to inspect the monastery.

In January 1503 the abbots of Sponheim , Seligenstadt and St. Stephan appeared in Würzburg to check the abbey for any irregularities. Under this pressure, the already old abbot resigned, not without securing permanent residence in the abbey, two servants and an annual pension. Abbot Michael died on October 10, 1504 and was buried in the monastery church at Jacob's altar.

literature

• Kassius Hallinger: The chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach a. M. (1390-1803). In: Abtei Münsterschwarzach (Ed.): Abtei Münsterschwarzach. Works from their history . Münsterschwarzach 1938.
• Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.
• Heinrich Wagner: The abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach in the Middle Ages. In: Pirmin Hugger (Ed.): Magna Gratia. Festschrift for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Münsterschwarzach abbey church 1938–1988 . Münsterschwarzach 1988.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ While u. a. Hallinger (p. 95) states October 10, other sources speak of October 13 and 14. See: Heinrich Wagner: The Abbots of Megingaudshausen and Münsterschwarzach. P. 151.
2. ^ Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey. P. 22.
3. ↑ Wagner refers to the Latin term "in Quadragesima" (Latin in Lent or on Lent Sunday), which is used in the so-called "Chronicon minus". Since this day fell on February 16, when Abbot Martin was still alive, Wagner also describes the date as a forgery.
4. ↑ Kassius Hallinger: The chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 95.

predecessor	Office	successor
Martin	Abbot of Münsterschwarzach 1494–1503	Paul