Plazidus I. Büchs

The coat of arms of Abbot Plazidus Büchs

Plazidus I. Büchs (real name Martinus Büchs ; born November 21, 1627 in Münnerstadt , † January 1, 1691 in Münsterschwarzach ) was abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Münsterschwarzach from 1672 to 1691 .

Münsterschwarzach before Büchs

The half century before Plazidus Büch took office in Münsterschwarzach, as everywhere in the Prince Diocese of Würzburg , was marked by the Thirty Years' War . Abbot John VI. Martin upgraded the monastery by purchasing two cannons. His successor then exacerbated the situation from 1628: He enriched himself with the few monastery properties that had spared the war and the Little Ice Age that began at the same time .

In 1631 the entire convent had to flee the buildings. The Protestant Swedes occupied Münsterschwarzach for a few years and set up quarters in the buildings. After the return of the monks, the reconstruction began, which was repeatedly interrupted by the war. Only after the end of the war did the abbots Remigius Winckel and later Benedikt Weidenbusch force the restitution of the abbey. Weidenbusch also began to promote science in the monastery.

Life

Early years

Plazidus I. Büchs was born on November 21, 1627 as Martinus Büchs in Münnerstadt, Lower Franconia . Martin Sennefeldt has been handed down as his godfather. Büchs' parents were Petrus and Anna Büchs, they were respected citizens in the city. Plazidu's grandfather Wilhelm Büchs even held the office of councilor in Münnerstadt. The brother of the future abbot is also known: His name was Michael Büchs and died on September 5, 1651 without a male descendant.

Nothing is known about Plazidus Büch's school days. He only reappeared in the sources as a student. Here he devoted himself to the study of syntax . His spiritual career began in 1645 when Büchs entered the Münsterschwarzach Abbey. On January 1, 1647, he took his vows , but then devoted himself again to his studies for two years, which was now continued in the befriended Amorbach Monastery . On February 27, 1649 Büchs became a subdeacon .

The young monk quickly took on important offices within the monastery. He has been handed down as a subprior in 1654, before the pastoral position in the monastery village of Stadelschwarzach was transferred to him. Here he was active in pastoral care from 1654 to 1658. Back in the abbey, he was made cellar , an office that he filled from 1658 to 1663. Again as a pastor, Büchs worked from 1663 to 1666 in Wiesentheid and from 1666 to 1672 in the abbey town of Sommerach .

As abbot

When Abbot Benedikt died in 1672, Büchs was not one of the favorites of the Duchy of Würzburg . The bishop preferred the prior Ämilian Körner and even threatened the monks with deprivation of their freedom of choice should they choose another candidate. The electoral process lasted from September 13 to 15, 1672 and, contrary to all expectations, produced Plazidus Büchs as the winner. Reluctantly, the prince-bishopric also accepted the election winner.

On October 11, 1672 Büchs was confirmed by the Würzburg prince-bishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn , and on April 30, 1673 he was finally given a nomination . The abbot's first practical test were the imperial troops, who overwintered in the monastery villages in the winter of 1676/1677. On October 18, 1677, a fire broke out in the abbey, which destroyed the farm buildings. Büchs saved most of the valuables from the burning buildings at the risk of his life.

In June 1678, the topping-out ceremony for the newly constructed building was celebrated. Büchs had won Simon Holiday as a builder. In the same month the abbot was also appointed Bamberg Consiliarius. Immediately after the reconstruction, the abbot consolidated the economic foundations of the abbey. The extremely warm summers, which produced a wine of the century that could be sold at a profit, were helpful to him.

Inside the monastery, however, it was seething: the replacement of Prior Benedikt Perckhammer by Abbot Plazidus angered the rest of the convent . Büchs tried to settle the conflict by appointing the later abbot Augustin Voit , but could only postpone the split in the convent. Shortly before his death, the dispute broke out again within the monastery and should also help determine the terms of office of Büch's successors.

Meanwhile, the abbot had the representative buildings of the monastery villages renewed, which had been destroyed in the Thirty Years War. In 1688 the Zehnthöfe in Nordheim am Main and Sommerach were expanded, followed in the same year by the church in Düllstadt , which was now equipped with statues and images of saints. Büchs also built a tithe barn in Neuses am Berg. In 1690 the renovation of the monastery cloister of the abbey began.

At this time the abbot was in Nordheim for a cure from June 12th to August 7th. The gout made Büchs so difficult that he soon asked for a coadjutor . On January 1, 1691, between noon and 1 a.m., Büchs died in the arms of infirmar Gottfried Hollbusch. He was buried in the monastery on January 4, 1691. His successor had an epitaph made for him showing Büchs in his abbot's robes.

coat of arms

The coat of arms in Sommerach

The coat of arms of Abbot Plazidus Büchs shows two crossed rifles. The color scheme is unknown. It is a speaking coat of arms and refers to the surname Büchs. Variations of the coat of arms can be found on a seal for Johann Philipp Fuchs von Dornheim zu Mainsondheim, next to it the coat of arms is attached in the cloister of today's abbey. The coat of arms can also be found in Nordheim am Main and Sommerach. Here it was attached to the outbuildings of the respective Zehnthöfe.

literature

• Kassius Hallinger: Chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach a. M. (1390-1803). In: Abtei Münsterschwarzach (Ed.): Abtei Münsterschwarzach. Works from their history. Münsterschwarzach 1938.
• Rainer Kengel: The coat of arms of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. In: Abtei Münsterschwarzach (Ed.): Abtei Münsterschwarzach. Works from their history. Münsterschwarzach 1938.
• Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey . Münsterschwarzach 2002.

Web links

Commons : Plazidus I. Büchs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey. P. 34.
2. ↑ Hallinger, Kassius: The chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 114.
3. ↑ Mahr, Johannes: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey. P. 36.
4. ↑ Hallinger, Kassius: The chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 115.
5. ↑ Kengel, Rainer: The coat of arms of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 149.

predecessor	Office	successor
Benedict II. Weidenbusch	Abbot of Münsterschwarzach 1672–1691	Augustin Voit