Ardagger Abbey

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The Ardagger Abbey is a former collegiate monastery in Ardagger in the Ardagger Stift cadastral community in the Amstetten district in Lower Austria .

history

Collegiate Church in Ardagger

Foundation and dedication

On January 7, 1049, Emperor Heinrich III handed over the area in and around Ardagger to the Freising Monastery (Bishop Nitker von Freising ) for the establishment and maintenance of a collegiate monastery in honor of St. Margaretha . The solemn consecration of the church took place on September 4, 1063, when the most important men of the empire were present: Archbishop Anno of Cologne , Archbishop Adalbert of Bremen , Archbishop Siegfried Graf Eppenstein of Mainz , Bishop Ellenhard of Freising , as well as 24 other high-ranking clergy .

Founding saga

According to local legend, the emperor, accompanied by his wife Agnes of Poitou , was hunting when she was surprised by birth pangs in the deepest forest. In this awkward and helpless situation, the Empress, instead of the local forest chapel in honor of St. Margareta to found a church and a monastery when the threatening hour passed and the child was born healthy and well. Legend has it that her prayer was heard and the child was baptized in the name of Margarita.

Interior view with the raised choir

The first written mention of the founding saga from 1667 is a manuscript with four miniature paintings, including a picture of the collegiate church and provost's office. This illustration was commissioned by Provost Melchior of Pergen as a gift to Emperor Leopold I . on the occasion of the impending delivery of his wife Margareta Teresa and is now in the Austrian National Library. However, the tradition of the foundation is not mentioned in writing throughout the Middle Ages and also not reflected in works of art, so that an actual historical background cannot be assumed here. There are some versions of the founding saga, which differ from each other mainly in the child's name.

Further development

The first two centuries after it was founded, the monastery flourished thanks to the sovereign privileges which, among other things, allowed it to hold weekly market days. The market day for the feast of the church's patroness, St. Margaretha, even extended over several days. This largely peaceful and undisturbed epoch ended for the monastery with the invasion of today's Upper Austria by Ludwig's army , son of Duke Otto II of Bavaria . The forays into Lower Austria by smaller groups of his army also extended to Ardagger. The soldiers broke into the sacrarium and stole valuable vessels and paraments . Numerous writings including the chartered privileges of the pen were also stolen or destroyed. The provost Leopold at the time, who was highly regarded as court chaplain to Queen Margarete , later obtained partial reparation for the damage and the restoration of the original privileges. The pen mainly appears in a document through the numerous Seelgerät foundations and other donations or purchase contracts.

According to this, another two centuries passed relatively peacefully and without any special events until the second half of the 15th century, the mercenaries of Jörg v. Stein established themselves near Ardagger in Ybbs and Aschbach and devastated the surrounding land. This had a devastating effect, especially on the weekly market and thus on an important source of income for the pen, as buyers and sellers alike stayed away from it. The incursion of Matthias Corvinus in Lower Austria in the late 15th century also weighed on the monastery. Like other markets and cities, it had to pay homage to him in 1482 and pay a considerable fire tax. Despite financial losses, the construction of a new church began in the incorporated parish of Stephanshart , which was consecrated in 1487.

The situation really threatened the existence of the monastery in the 16th century. Luther's teachings also reached Ardagger and were well received by many canons and vicars. This even led to the fact that the vicars von Stephanshart and Zeilern married in public. When Vienna was besieged by the Turks in 1529 , the monastery was also ravaged by the troops. The monastery, church and houses of the canons were looted and set on fire. The church suffered considerable damage from the collapse of the vault. The "Turkish tax" levied by Archduke Ferdinand I in the following year cost the monastery the Ardagger market , which was so important to him , as well as all properties on the other side of the Danube. The tax levied in 1539 for the renewal of the University of Vienna put a further burden on the already financially troubled monastery, so that the number of canons was reduced to ten in order to secure the remaining canons their preambles . The monastery survived the poor social situation of the farmers and the resulting peasant uprisings in Lower Austria relatively unscathed. The insurgents contented themselves with wine and money. On February 18, 1597, the Ardagger Abbey signed the lapel of Amstetten in order to reach a "peace agreement".

former provost house

Under Provost Melchior von Pergen, the monastery, whose number of canons continued to decrease over time, was finally converted into a Realpropstei in 1662. From then on, the tasks at the monastery and the incorporated parishes were only performed by vicars and their number was set at 6. Until the abbey of Ardagger was dissolved, the dignity of provost was increasingly being given to members of the Austrian nobility to improve their income. In the course of the reforms of Emperor Joseph II and the establishment of the diocese of St. Pölten , Ardagger Abbey was abolished in 1784. The estates and estates were so badly managed by the state administration that they had to be sold to Count Alois Geneco in an auction in 1811. However, the buyer undertook to take care of their maintenance as the patron saint of the collegiate church and the associated parishes, but in return received the right to present the pastor. The former monastery estates and associated properties subsequently changed hands several times and are still privately owned today. The patronage itself was increasingly replaced by agreements between the owners and the church. After the death of the last provost Josef Franz von Auersperg in 1795, Ardagger Abbey was also formally converted into a titular provost office. The title "Provost von Ardagger" is still awarded today by the diocese of St. Pölten to deserving church dignitaries. Provost Raimund Breiteneder currently bears this title. The pastoral care of the parish Stift Ardagger is carried out by Mag. Gerhard Gruber.

Collegiate church and furnishings

Building history

Cloister with the Epiphany Chapel

The original building from the 11th century was a three-aisled, flat-roofed early Romanesque pillar basilica and is still partially preserved in the surrounding walls. Under Provost Heinrich, who was provost of Stift Ardagger and Passau Dompropst from 1224 to 1240, the church was rebuilt as a late Romanesque three-aisled basilica with a raised choir and an underlying crypt . The floor level of the long ship was originally lower than it is today. After the vault collapsed in the course of the arson during the Turkish siege in 1529, the rubble was no longer removed. The Margaret Window (1230–40), also donated by Provost Heinrich, is the oldest figurative stained glass in Austria and shows it in the lower round medallion of the window with a church model of the planned three-aisled basilica with two high west towers. But these were never built like this. The low church tower that was built was raised in 1780, but could not bear the additional weight. It had to be removed and rebuilt in its present form in 1804.

In the 14th century the church received numerous modifications in the Gothic style. These appear in the choir as well as in the nave and on the buttresses with crab-studded pinnacles and closing finials. This style epoch is clearly visible at today's collegiate church on the gothic pointed arched windows in the choir and nave, the sacrament niche behind the left side choir altar, the west portal and on the ribbed vault of the old sacristy. The aforementioned pointed arch windows were bricked up when the nave was re-vaulted, as the new vault was lower than the original, higher Gothic one. These were exposed again as blind windows in the course of the restoration in 1996 .

In the 17th century the church underwent extensive baroque changes under Provost Caspar Stredele and his successor, Provost Melchior von Pergen. Much of today's interior, such as the choir stalls , the 14th altar of the Holy Helpers , as well as the construction of the organ and pulpit , date from this time. The largely preserved stuccoing and frescoing of the vaults in the high choir and nave, as well as the Epiphany Chapel in the cloister, also owes the Ardagger Abbey to this construction period. The four large oil paintings on the side walls of the choir were created at the same time as the frescoes.

Apart from the above-mentioned reconstruction of the tower, only minor modifications and extensions were made after the abolition of the monastery in 1784, which mainly concerned the porches for the west and south portal and various window and door openings. The last major renovation and numerous building security measures due to the lack of foundations were carried out in 1996.

Margaret window

Margaret window

Probably the most important work of art in the collegiate church is the Margaret window. It was created around 1234 in the course of the late Romanesque construction phase and is located in the high, round-arched axis window of the rectangular apse to the east . It is also the only almost completely preserved stained glass painting from this period in Austria and, along with a window in the ambulatory of Chartres Cathedral, is the earliest known example of a hagiographic cycle of St. Margareta. With the exception of a lost medallion, the renewed upper end and an arrangement that was no longer original as a result of restorations in the 19th century, the window has remained undamaged and in its original location to this day. In 1944, the window was bricked up to protect it from war damage, as after the intervention in Ardagger it was too risky to expand it and to damage it. In retrospect, this decision was extremely positive for Ardagger Abbey, because otherwise the window would have been lost in the turmoil towards the end of the war.

The 14 circular medallions (originally 15) depict scenes from the martyr legend of St. Margareta. Each medallion is framed by an explanatory inscription written in Leonine verse . The first medallion, the so-called donor disk, shows the builder Propst Heinrich with the model of the basilica with twin towers that was probably originally planned. The upper degree was probably lost before 1857 and was supplemented in 1949 in the course of the 900th anniversary with the representation of the coat of arms of the patron saints of the collegiate church.

The individual discs (from bottom to top) represent the following waypoints of the martyr legend of St. Margareta:

  1. Pin washer
  2. Margaret in the pasture with the messenger of Olibrius
  3. Margareta is kidnapped by Olibrius
  4. Margareta is talked into idolatry
  5. Margareta refuses to worship idols
  6. Margareta is beaten with rods
  7. Margareta is torn to pieces with hooks
  8. Appearance of the dragon
  9. Margareta rises from the dragon
  10. Appearance of the cross and the dove in the dungeon
  11. Margareta defeats the demon
  12. Margareta is burned with torches
  13. Margareta is immersed in the water
  14. Beheading of St. Margareta
  15. Two angels carry Margareta's soul to heaven

crypt

crypt

The crypt, still preserved from the late Romanesque construction of the 13th century, is located under the high choir and is accessible via two steps from the south and north aisles. It is a three-aisled, six-bay hall crypt with 14 columns and remarkable bud capitals that support the groin vault . The ceiling coloring with painted ashlar in red and white dates back to the Middle Ages.

High altar

According to an inscription, the high altar dates back to 1627 and was not put up again in its current form until 1996, when the general renovation of the collegiate church was completed. It was originally lower and in the middle was the figure of St. Margareta, which is now opposite the pulpit. In order to still allow a view of the Margaret window behind, the altar was stretched upwards by approx. 1.20 m.

Choir stalls

The splendid choir stalls with rich ornamental decorations, like the high altar, also date to 1627.

Frescoes and stucco

Frescoes and stucco in the high choir

The largely preserved stucco and frescoing of the vault in the high choir and nave, as well as the Epiphany Chapel in the cloister, dates back to the 17th century and goes back to extensive baroque changes under Provost Caspar Stredele and his successor Provost Melchior von Pergen. The stucco work, dated 1678, is attributed to Giovanni Battista Colombo from Lugano. The frescoes are monographed with IMF and are probably the work of Jacopo Antonio Mazza. Among other things, they show the martyrdom of St. Margareta, as well as the four parishes of Stephanshart , Zeillern , Kollmitzberg and Markt Ardagger incorporated into the monastery . The four large oil paintings on the side walls of the choir were created at the same time as the frescoes and probably by the same artist.

Chapel of the Holy Helpers

In the right aisle there is the Chapel of the Holy Helpers with early Classicist wall painting and the altar from 1778 with the depiction of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and St. Margaret in the center of the picture. The crowning is the portrait of Mary on the clouds. To the side of the altarpiece are the figures of Mary's parents - Saint Joachim and Saint Anna. Below you can see the representation of the Pietá and the painful Mother of God united in a carving group. In the chapel there is also the nine-sided baptismal font.

Cloister

Cloister

The medieval cloister was built around 1400 and served as a connection between the collegiate church and the abbey buildings or rooms adjacent to the north and the provost's office . This is vaulted with ribs and has interesting figural rib consoles and keystones as well as two-part tracery windows. In the north wing there are still two early Gothic frescos with a depiction of the Apostle's Creed as a red chalk drawing and date to the forties of the 15th century. The Epiphany Chapel, built in the west wing in the style of an otherwise common well house , had Canon Paul von Mautern built in 1410. The current decoration of the chapel with stucco and frescoes took place together with the collegiate church in the year 1678, whereby in the course of the restoration in the fifties the stained glass windows and parts of the lost frescos were newly stylistically based on the baroque ones. No evidence of a common chapter house , which was often connected to the cloister, has been found in Ardagger Abbey to date.

Gravestones and death sign

In the collegiate church itself as well as in the cloister some of the excellent tombstone sculptures of the provosts and canons are placed. They are particularly important for the history of the monastery. Also worth mentioning is the large wooden death shield for Provost Dr. Ulrich Zürker (died 1663 in Augsburg). A painted epitaph from 1327 has also been preserved in the left aisle, which now contains a Lourdes grotto .

St. Anne's Chapel

The late Gothic St. Anna Chapel was consecrated in 1518 and is attached to the high choir in the cemetery. The original vault is no longer preserved and was probably damaged during the Turkish storm in 1529. In 1632 it received a flat wooden ceiling. It has been profaned since the abolition of the monastery and in the past also served as a charity . Today it is still used as a funeral hall.

pulpit

The pulpit dates from 1796 and was supplemented in 1820 with four oil paintings of the evangelists. They are works by the Waidhofen painter Franz Kandler.

organ

organ

The construction of the organ, like most of the interior fittings of the church, falls into the 17th century in 1620 and was carried out by the well-known Passau organ maker Johann Georg Freundt . This was originally built without a pedal and expanded in 1770 with a pedal mechanism and Rückpositiv in the Rococo style. The main work is one of the oldest surviving organ works in Austria.

Monastery building

The former provost house and the associated buildings are now commonly referred to as the castle. They form a complex consisting of three wings, which is connected to the collegiate church via the cloister. These buildings served mainly the canons and vicars as common rooms and include B. the dining room. The canons themselves had their own house in the immediate vicinity of the monastery , as far as their benefices and property conditions allowed. The front wing along the street with the entrance gate was built in the 17th century by Provost Melchior von Pergen and originally contained the provost's apartment. After the abolition in 1784 and the sale in 1813 to Count Alois von Geniceo, the monastery buildings are privately owned. During restoration work, an overpainted sundial was uncovered again in the now named castle courtyard and lost areas were professionally supplemented.

In addition to the abbey buildings already mentioned, other buildings belonging to the abbey and some of the residences of the canons and vicars in the village can be identified using the land register from the second half of the 15th century. Among other things, the former collegiate school , the Dechantei (= official seat and apartment of the Dechan ) and the building yard can still be traced back to the buildings that exist today.

The former bulk box of the monastery is still prominently visible in the village . An inscription with the monastery coat of arms indicates that it was created in 1730.

Dignities

Provost

The provost of Ardagger was either a canon from Freising or later from Passau. As the head of the chapter, the provost received two benefices and represented the monastery to the outside world, but also had to take care of accommodating and entertaining guests, provided the number of horses did not exceed 12. Since there was no residence obligation for him, he was rarely present in the monastery, so that his tasks were mainly performed by the dean or an official appointed by the provost. According to the statutes of 1356, when he invested, the provost was obliged to purchase a silk cloth worth two silver marks for the collegiate church in order to remedy the apparent lack of parament .

A total of 57 provosts of Ardagger are known by name, although the first three provosts and the 17th cannot be documented. Their names and the dates are based on 34 portraits showing the provosts of Ardagger, which were previously hung in the monastery dining room, but now in the sacristy.

Provosts of Ardagger 1050 - 1783
Surname Years
1 Rupertus 1050
2 John 1080
3 Peter 1124
4th Baldwin c.1138
5 Ulrich v. Harthausen 1149-1190
6th Conrad Seligkind 1190-?
7th Ortolf 1200.1203
8th Ulrich between 1206 and 1215
9 Hartmann 1215
10 Eberhard 1219
11 Heinrich 1225-1236
12 Leopold 1241-1257
13 Friedrich v. Montalban 1259-1279
14th Hermann 1280-1296
15th Hugo 1300-1303
16 Conrad v. Brauneck 1308-1315
17th Arnest 1327
18th Leutold Graf v. Schaumberg 1325
19th Otto Graf v. Schaumberg 1343-44
20th Jakob von Kirchberg 1344
21st Ulrich von Massenhausen 1345
22nd Conrad Graf von Schaumberg 1350-57
23 Berthold von Fraunberg 1358-?
24 Wilhelm von Fraunberg 1377-89
25th Friedrich von Fraunberg 1395
26th Stephan Schilbatz 1395-1401
27 Egilof Fridpold 1404-1428
28 Johann Thomas von Creyvelt 1428–1439 (?)
29 Heinrich Greinbacher 1441
30th Heinrich Fleckl 1446-62
31 Wilhelm Schwalb (to Tölz) 1462-71
32 Petrus Ridler 1471-77
33 Leonhard Mautner v. Katzenberg, jun. 1477-78
34 Georg Hohenfelder v. Key mountain 1474-83
35 Heinrich von Silberberg 1485-1508
36 Ferenberger 1508-19
37 Francis 1520-49
38 Christoph v. Cadilegio -1551
39 Martin Bodenarius -1551 -?
40 Jacob 1557-1560
41 Christoph von Mansing 1560-65
42 Oswald Grübler (Dr.) 1567-84
43 Andreas Birk 1584-88
44 Matthias Resch v. Reschbach 1591-1615
45 Johann Caspar Stredele v. Montani 1616-42
46 Ulrich Zürker 1642-62
47 Melchior Baron v. Pergen 1662-1700
48 Franz Ferdinand v. Hype 1700-1706
49 Johann Ludwig Pabutin v. kiss 1706-14
50 Wilhelm v. Leslie 1714-16
51 Ignaz v. Lovina 1716-17
52 Phillip Ludwig v. Sinzendorf 1717-26
53 Ferdinand Ottokar v. Starhemberg 1726-29
54 Franz Alois v. Lamberg 1729-32
55 Leopold Ansgar v. Starhemberg 1732-52
56 Johann Josef v. Trautson 1752-57
57 Josef Franz v. Auersperg 1757-83

Canons

The so-called chapter consisted of 12 canons, who performed the pastoral care of the surrounding parishes and the tasks at the collegiate church, such as the hours of prayer and the holding of masses on the basis of soul equipment foundations . A canon received a benefice . Furthermore, individual canons held certain offices for the various tasks in the monastery. The statutes, which were notarized in 1356 due to disputes between the provost and the canons , include a dean , cellarer , custodian , scholasticus and forestarius. These offices were chosen by election among the canons. The chapter also chose the Exspektanten on vacant prebends itself. The canons it was also released their livings with each other to sell or bequeath. In the course of time, this led to an unjust distribution of property and consequently to disputes within the chapter, which could only be partially resolved with the aforementioned statutes. Not all members of the chapter were obliged to be permanently present in the monastery, so that the Vita communis was not really lived in Ardagger. At the feast of the patron saint of St. Margaretha, all chapter members were obliged to attend under threat of loss of income.

dean

The dean stood by the provost's side and represented the pen in its affairs during the provost's absence. He was elected by the canons and the provost, with the provost having the first vote. In addition to the provost, the dean also received two full benefices for his activities. He directed the choir prayer and, according to the statutes, was also required to watch over its maintenance. His official seat was in the immediate vicinity of the so-called Dechantei. Since 1453 this has been one of the Choralia, which could not be inherited or sold.

Kellerer

The Kellerer, also called Cellerarius, had a very extensive range of duties. He was responsible for the property belonging to the monastery and the income received from it. He also distributed the respective emoluments of the canons. Only the allocation of the amount of wine was determined by lot. Taxes, various monetary levies and court changes that had to be paid to the chapter also flowed into his coffers. For this activity he was allowed to withhold part of it as a reward. Once a year he was obliged to report to the chapter on accounting. The canons themselves chose the cellarer without the provost having a say.

Custodian

The tasks of the custodian included custody of the sacrarium and the church itself. He also accepted any donations in kind or in cash, for which he, like the cellarer, had to bill once a year. His choice was also made by the chapter itself.

Scholasticos

The Scholastikos was not determined by election, but his office went hand in hand with a certain preamble, the so-called Scholasterie. His job was on the compliance of the Hours to watch. He directed the collegiate school, in which in addition to theological training, the boys were also taught choral singing.

Forestarius

This was determined by the chapter itself and was responsible for overseeing the forests owned by the monastery. He didn't have to be a canon or a clergyman. Among other things, he watched over the amount of wood that was allowed to be felled.

Vicars

The vicars were employed at the collegiate church and received a fixed fee for this. They took over numerous activities of the canons, such as B. the pastoral care of the incorporated parishes or the divine office. After the conversion into a Realpropstei, the original tasks of the canons were entirely performed only by vicars. The last vicar of Stift Ardagger was hired as the first pastor after the abolition in 1784, but resigned again after a year.

literature

  • Ignaz Chalupka: The Ardagger Collegiate Foundation . In: Hippolytus. Theological quarterly publication of the diocese of St. Pölten . Vol. 6 (1863), pp. 83-100, 115-136. ( books.google.de )
  • Gottfried Edmund Friess: History of the former Collegiate-Stift Ardagger in Lower Austria . In: Archives for Austrian History . Vol. 46 (1871), pp. 419-561. ( books.google.de )
  • Herta Glaninger: History of the former Ardagger Collegiate Foundation . Dissertation. Vienna 1948.
  • Johannes Landlinger: Ardagger. History of the monastery and parish 1049–1949 . Ardagger 1949.
  • Alois Plesser: On the church history of the quarter above the Vienna Woods before 1627 (= historical supplements to the St. Pöltner Diözesanblatt . Vol. 15). St. Pölten 1977, pp. 106-143. ( pdf )
  • Franz Steinkellner: The land register of the Ardagger collegiate monastery from the second half of the 15th century . Vienna 1981.
  • Leo Maria Baumann: The history of the Ardagger Abbey and its patrons . Grein 1996.
  • Herbert Berndl-Forstner: Ardagger Abbey. Festschrift for the completion of the restoration work on the church and cloister . Ardagger 1996.
  • Thomas Aigner: Collegiate Foundation Ardagger. Contributions to history and art history . St. Pölten 1999.
  • Church leader Stift Ardagger . Diocese of St. Pölten. 3rd edition 2010.

Web links

Commons : Collegiate Church  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Map of the Ardagger collegiate monastery from the second half of the 15th century

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Copy of the deed of foundation 13 Jht. Seitenstetten Abbey Library, Codex 238; Print Archive for Austrian History Vol. 46, p. 466
  2. ↑ Stiftsbibliothek Seitenstetten, Codex 238, Print Archive for Austrian History, Vol. 46, p. 467
  3. ↑ Austrian National Library Cod. 7240
  4. ^ A b Thomas Aigner (ed.): Kollegiatstift Ardagger - Contributions to history and art history . Bischöfliches Ordinariat St. Pölten, 1999, ISBN 3-901863-03-6 , p. 437 .
  5. ↑ Dr. Johannes Landlinger: Ardagger - monastery and parish history 1049 - 1949 . 1949.
  6. ↑ Gottfried Edmund Friess: History of the former Collegiate-Stift Ardagger in Lower Austria . 1871, p. 461 .
  7. ↑ Gottfried Edmund Friess: History of the former Collegiate-Stift Ardagger in Lower Austria. 1871, p. 463 .
  8. ↑ Ardagger Abbey . In: Diocese of St. Pölten (Ed.): Church leaders . 3. Edition. 2010.
  9. ^ Johann Kronbichler and Elisabeth Oberhaidacher-Herzig: The Margaret window from Ardagger Abbey . Ed .: Diözesanmuseum St. Pölten. Episcopal Ordinariate St. Pölten, 1991, ISBN 3-900884-02-1 .
  10. ^ A b Franz Steinkellner: The land register of the collegiate monastery Ardagger from the second half of the 15th century . Ed .: Self-published by the Lower Austrian Institute for Regional Studies. Vienna 1981.
  11. ↑ Herta Glaninger: History of the former collegiate foundation Ardagger . Ed .: Dissertation. 1948, p. 69-87 .
  12. ↑ Herta Glaninger: History of the former collegiate foundation Ardagger . 1948, p. 176-1196 .

Coordinates: 48 ° 9 ′ 32.8 "  N , 14 ° 50 ′ 38.1"  E