Peters women

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The so-called Petersfrauen were an order closely connected with the St. Peter Abbey in Salzburg in a women's monastery, which is documented from 1130 to 1583. They are an example of a double monastery , with a women's convent attached to the men's convent in terms of space and administration. In these cases the abbot of the monks' convent had full jurisdiction and paternal power over the women's convent, administered its property and also appointed the abbess. Another example of such a double monastery was the monastery of the cathedral women attached to the cathedral monastery in Salzburg . More often, however, one finds the case that a women’s monastery was founded next to a men’s monastery in the same place, but in spatial separation; Examples are the St. Peter monastery and the Nonnberg monastery in Salzburg or the Herrenchiemsee and Frauenchiemsee monasteries in Chiemgau , each of which was legally and economically independent of one another.

The Saint Peter's women saw themselves as Benedictine women , and they followed the rule of the order according to their own interpretation. Their home was that of today's Franciscan monastery . They were connected to the men's monastery through the St. Anna Chapel, with the altar of this chapel in the men's monastery, but the prayer chairs in the women's monastery. A partition with a large viewing window and a barred confession window next to it separated the nuns from the monks of the male monastery. However, it was customary for this wall to be broken at certain times and the St. Peter's women to be invited to the men's domain and hospitable. Then the wall breach was bricked up again. A bathing house and an infirmary were also set up for the women's monastery . The St. Peter's women performed their services and choir prayers in the parish church of St. Marien, today's Franciscan church. Next to the choir was the chapter room, in which a chapter from the rules of the order was read every day before the whole convention. Every Friday there was a guilt convention where the sisters accused themselves of their misconduct and were punished by the prioress, either by giving up further prayers or by chastising them with good whips .

For those familiar with Salzburg's history, the so-called Fron- or Frauengarten is a reminder of the Peter women , a plot of land that was vacant at the time and which lay outside the Petri Wall and Getreidegasse and which Archbishop Konrad I used for planting vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants . was made available in the 12th century.

In the Middle Ages, a women's monastery was an institution for leading a consecrated life in following Christ. On the other hand, from a social point of view, such monasteries also served to look after unmarried or widowed women from well-to-do families and to secure them appropriate accommodation. For this they had to bring an appropriate trousseau with them when they entered the monastery community. Frequently, however, entry into the monastery took place in childhood; the children were given to the nuns as oblates at the age of six to nine, admission to the novitiate and profession was set in 1581 at the age of twelve and 16 respectively. Lay sisters ( sorores conversae ) often worked in the kitchen , while the oblates ( oblatae laicae ) acted as servants. 230 names are known from the monastery, but it is assumed that there were considerably more; on average about 16 nuns, novices and conversations are said to have lived in the monastery.

For a time it was assumed that the Petrine convent could have been a counterpart for the wealthy bourgeoisie to the Nonnberg monastery , which only accepted aristocratic women. From the list of names of the Petersfrauen, however, it can be seen that a number of them came from the Salzburg nobility, such as the Pollheimer, Thenn, Gutrather, Trauner or Elsenheimer families. The nun Hiltpurga was the sister of the minstrel Dietmar von Aist . It even seems that nobles were given preference at the time of admission, as a larger dowry could usually be expected from them. In the 14th and 15th centuries, they had the greatest popularity of their existence, even protégés of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria had to be turned away due to lack of space. The relationship with the nuns on the Nonnberg seems to have been reserved.

The St. Peter's women were not cut off from the outside world, they allegedly even displayed a feudal lifestyle. B. Bring servants. The tableware consisted of gilded plates and bowls, silver spoons and richly decorated drinking cups. They could also leave the monastery to do some shopping in town. Part of their lifestyle was that they let their hair grow long and tended it in a worldly way. Her rosaries were supposedly made of precious stones and corals and also served as jewelry. Otherwise they were well equipped (fur coats in winter, duvets, the finest linen). They fulfilled their spiritual duties (prayer, church services) in the Franciscan Church .

Nikolaus von Kues tried to change the lifestyle of the St. Peter's women during a visitation, but he was unsuccessful because they did not follow his instructions. And the abbots of St. Peter did well not to mess with the St. Peter's wives, as they brought rich gifts to the monastery.

The St. Peter's women were of particular importance in the production of magnificent embroidery and woven fabrics. In addition, they dedicated themselves to copying books and the production of artistic miniatures and colorful book illuminations. Their monastery also had a rich library that included not only religious works but also works from antiquity. A book catalog was even made and a library was opened. There was also the office of a novice master who taught the entering girls reading, writing, singing, choral prayer and handicrafts. The Peters women also set up a school for girls, which was a great exception in the Middle Ages. Her students also came from abroad. All of this led to confrontations with the clergy, who opposed the education of women and especially of non-spiritual women. They were also of great importance in maintaining music; it was even common in Salzburg that when a deceased person was laid out, the women of St. Peter were invited to a "conspiracy".

The St. Peter's women were very open to the new trend at the time of the Reformation. When Johann von Staupitz , Luther's former superior, was appointed abbot (1522–1524) to Salzburg, the St. Peter's wives wrote down his sermons; these documents are an important source for Staupitz research today. They also took on Martin Luther's reading. Finally, like almost all of the Salzburg bourgeoisie, they joined the Reformation. Most of them left the monastery, which gradually emptied. The other sisters brought violent complaints against the last prioress Anna Maria von Gutrat. The prioress also played an unfortunate role in that, following the request of the abbot of St. Peter, Peter Graser (1577–1584), she no longer allowed profession, as he wanted to set up a seminary in the building. This intention was thwarted by the archbishop coadjutor Georg von Kuenburg and the papal nuncio Ninguarda , who had already promised the monastery to the Franciscans. The last four St. Peter's women found accommodation in the monastery in the Benedictine women's monastery in Nonnberg. One of them, Cordula von Mundtenheim, was even elected abbess there in 1600.

literature

  • Heinz Dopsch: The Peters women. In: Office of the Salzburg State Government - Culture Department (Ed.): The oldest monastery in the German-speaking area. St. Peter in Salzburg. 3rd State Exhibition, May 15 - October 26, 1982. Treasures of European Culture (pp. 85–790). Salzburg: 1982.
  • Liselotte Eltz-Hoffmann: The Petersfrauen . Bastei, 2011, 60/4, 23-25.

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