St. Ursenstift

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The St. Ursenstift was a collegiate monastery in Solothurn (today's Switzerland) that was founded around the 8th century and abolished in 1874.

The monastery is named after Ursus von Solothurn .

history

According to tradition, the monastery was founded as a monastery in 742 by Werthrada , wife of Pepin the Younger . It was first mentioned in a document in the Carolingian partition contract of Mersen as " Monasterium Sancti Ursi in Salodoro ". In the context of the Carolingian mission it had the status of a Carolingian own church.

The center of the monastery was initially located near the St. Peters chapel in Solothurn, which is also suggested by the current name Klosterplatz . In the 10th century, the Burgundy Queen Bertha of Burgundy seems to have donated the Münsterkirche (the forerunner of today's cathedral) as a collegiate church. During this time, the regular canons 'monastery (monastery) was evidently converted into a secular (not with monks, but with world priests) canons' monastery.

1045 had canons the right to the Salian Emperor Henry III. to be used provost (head) of the pen to choose.

In the 12th century the Zähringers were the imperial bailiffs over the monastery and the city. The property of the monastery at that time comprised parts of the lower and middle Leberberg, Zuchwil on the southern bank of the Aare and other free float. The noble farming families here had to pay him their tithes on a regular basis .

After the death of the last Zähringer, the monastery and city became imperial immediately. At that time, the canons came mainly from knight families from the Mittelland, occasionally including monks. At this time, the monastery was increasingly under pressure within the city by the rich and influential citizens. In the course of time it lost essential judicial powers, but for centuries it kept its property with the subservient (ten-liable) peasant owners.

It was only with the liberal revolution in the canton of 1830 that these feudal relationships (not only of the monastery, which was now partially occupied by bourgeoisie, but also of the former aristocratic upper class) were eliminated. The feudal taxes (tithes, interest) were replaced by leases , and in addition, the farming families were now allowed to buy themselves free from the hereditary ties to the landlords, which many could only afford financially after decades.

During the Kulturkampf , the pen came under pressure from the radical liberal movement and was dissolved in a referendum in 1874. The liquidation proceeds were used for school and health funds.

Today's tracks

The Propsteigasse below the cathedral or the Kapitelhaus (derived from Stiftskapitel ) to the east of the cathedral point to the earlier existence of the monastery ; the latter now serves the cantonal military administration.

literature

  • Hermann Büchi: The tithe and basic interest payment in the canton of Solothurn . Solothurn 1929 (also in: Yearbook for Solothurn History , 2, 1929, pp. 187-300 doi: 10.5169 / seals-322437 ).
  • Bruno Amiet : History of Solothurn, 1: City and Canton of Solothurn from prehistory to the end of the Middle Ages . Solothurn 1952.
  • Bruno Amiet, Hans Sigrist: History of Solothurn, 2: City and Canton of Solothurn from the Reformation to the height of the patrician regime. Solothurn 1976.
  • Thomas Wallner: History of the Canton of Solothurn 1831–1914, 1: Constitution, Politics, Church. Solothurn 1992 (= Solothurn history, 4).
  • Silvan Freddi: St. Ursus in Solothurn. From royal canon monastery to city monastery (870–1527). Cologne, Weimar, Vienna 2014 (= Zurich Contributions to History, 2).

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