Wolfgang Zobel

The coat of arms of abbot Wolfgang Zobel

Wolfgang Zobel (* 1523 in Röttingen ; † May 16, 1563 ) was abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Münsterschwarzach from 1556 to 1563 .

Münsterschwarzach in front of Zobel

The 16th century was marked by several wars and revolts in the Münsterschwarzach Abbey. During the German Peasants' War , on April 30, 1525, citizens of the city ​​of Schwarzach destroyed the monastery archive in order to avoid their tax obligations. The monastery then sent requests for help to the Bursfeld congregation , with which the abbey had been associated since 1480. When there was no help, the convent distanced itself from the ideas of the monastery union.

In the following years the abbots took the rebuilding into their own hands. The monastery church was rebuilt by 1540 and could be consecrated. Again the monastery buildings suffered from destruction in 1546, during the Schmalkaldic War troops plundered the monastery villages. Under Zobel's predecessor Abbot Leonhard Gnetzamer the embezzlement of the monastery property reached great proportions. The abbot was therefore deposed by the convent in 1556.

Life

Early years

Wolfgang Zobel was born in 1523 in Röttingen an der Tauber near the royal seat of Würzburg . Nothing specific is known about his family. The sources also contain nothing about the abbot's youth or training. Only when he entered the Abbey of Münsterschwarzach am Main in 1535 or 1536 does Zobel become tangible again. It is not clear when he took his vows , Wolfgang Zobel soon rose within the monastery.

He received his minor ordinations on March 22, 1539. He became a subdeacon on May 22, 1540, before he was ordained a deacon a year later, on April 22, 1541 . The ordination received Zobel on 17 February 1543. Subsequently, he received important positions in the monastic administration, it is still 1556 as prior mentioned. This office qualified him for the abbot's office, as the abbey urgently needed reforms in order to be able to pay off the high debts.

As abbot

After Leonhard Gnetzamer was deposed in the spring of 1556, an election was scheduled. It took place on June 23, 1556 under the chairmanship of the Würzburg auxiliary bishop Georg Flach . Nine voters chose thirty-four-year-old Wolfgang Zobel as the new abbot, which, given the size of the convent, was sufficient. When he took office, Zobel wrote about the situation of the abbey: “I should help out of any need / who can't find a little bread. (...) ".

First, however, the most urgent bottlenecks had to be resolved: To get wine for the fair, the monks in the monastery villages of Nordheim am Main and Sommerach begged the winemakers. The abbot, who was often ill, often invited himself to a hearty meal at the local mayor, because in the abbey itself one could not afford such expensive supplies for the prelate .

At the same time, Zobel began reforms within the monastery. He tried to restore the monastic discipline that had lapsed under his predecessor. To this end, he handed over the administration of the monastery to the younger monk Johannes Burckhardt , his later successor, and appointed him prior. Zobel also bought back the tithe in Kirchschönbach , which had been alienated since 1466, for the monastery.

Abbot Wolfgang soon managed to repay the accumulated debts and the abbey was able to undertake further improvements. Under the rule of Wolfgang Zobel the construction of an infirmary for the sick members of the convention began. Zobel himself died on May 16, 1563 of an illness which is described in the sources as "paralyzes tactus". He was buried in the abbey church in front of the column of the Epiphany altar.

coat of arms

The coat of arms of Wolfgang Zobel is the second personal symbol that has been passed down for the Münsterschwarzach abbots. The coat of arms is documented by two sources. On the one hand, it was attached as a seal to a letter to the canon of Würzburg in 1556, and on the other hand, there is a description in a commemorative publication that was made because of the benediction of Zobel's successor, Benedikt Weidenbusch. Description : A six-pointed star accompanied by three 2: 1 hearts. The colors of the coat of arms are unknown.

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: blossom in ruins. Life and work of the Münsterschwarzach abbot Johannes Burckhardt (1563-1598). In: Münsterschwarzacher studies. Volume 46. Münsterschwarzach 1998.
• Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey. Münsterschwarzach 2002.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Johannes Mahr: Münsterschwarzach. 1200 years of a Franconian abbey. P. 25.
2. ↑ Kassius Hallinger: The chronology of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 102.
3. ↑ Johannes Mahr: Bloom in ruins. P. 47.
4. ↑ Johannes Mahr: Bloom in ruins. P. 48.
5. ↑ Rainer Kengel: The coat of arms of the abbots of Münsterschwarzach. P. 145.

predecessor	Office	successor
Leonhard Gnetzamer	Abbot of Münsterschwarzach 1556–1563	John IV. Burckhardt