Abbey of the Holy Cross, Rostock
The Monastery of the Holy Cross in Rostock was founded in the 13th century by Cistercian nuns. It is the only completely preserved monastery in the city. The complex offers today used as a university church monastery church. Among the art treasures of the church include two ornate historic wing altars and the Sacrament house located in the choir. In the other monastic buildings now houses the Museum of Cultural History of the city of Rostock.
History
The monastery was founded by the Danish Queen Margarethe 1270. According to legend, she founded the monastery in gratitude for a miraculous rescue from drowning near the dog castle ( Schmarl ). Guarantees are large gifts, she made the monastery. In 1282 she died, and was in the Cistercian order and monastery church in Bad Doberan buried. The monastery came through gifts, endowments and bequests in large landholdings in Rostock in Mecklenburg and beyond. The nuns came mostly from wealthy families Rostock. The monastery had strong inflow and even had to pronounce recording limitations in the 14th century. The monastery church was completed around 1360.
The Reformation caught only after thirty years of "cooling " of the nuns in 1562 in the monastery. The Second Rostock inheritance agreement between the city of Rostock and the Dukes of Mecklenburg in 1584, the monastery was converted into a convent. The life of the inmates but had thus almost unchanged: the order was like to be the Catholic monastic rule. After the Thirty Years' War, there were only nine inmates. In the 19th century there were efforts to make the fundamental property of the monastery to state ownership. But the 1920 Constitution introduced the Free State of Mecklenburg -Schwerin only allowed for a expropriation without compensation and dissolution of the monastery. On 17 August 1920, the monastery the remaining ladies a right of residence was disbanded, but awarded for life. The last abbess died 1981. The monastery church was extensively renovated inside then from 1997 to 2002 and outside.
Architecture
The church is a three-aisled towerless stages hall with a polygonal choir. The naves are covered by a ribbed vault. The church was 1898/99 fully renovated by God Help Louis Moeckel, received thereby substantially its present neo-Gothic interior design and has since then served as a university church.
Around the courtyard, which was formerly the cemetery of the monastery, leading a cloister. The claustrum is a two-storey, Gothic building from the 14th century. The remaining buildings were up to the Domina house (19th century) in the 15th century. The original features of the monastery is no longer available. The Bailey edged the Professor houses were built in the 18th century.
Features of the monastery church
Main altar
The winged altar in the choir can be opened multiple times. The altar wing of the main altar are painted with various biblical scenes, the central shrine of the altar contains carved figures.
Wing of the main altar
Wing of the main altar
Wing of the main altar
Nuns altar
The so-called nuns altar has its name from its former location on the nuns' gallery in 1866 demolished the church. It can be folded several times and shows on its wings scenes from the legend of the cross finding by Empress Helena. Particularly ornate is the predella, the burial of Jesus, the resurrection and Jesus shows in three graphic scenes the Judge before the Hellmouth.
Wing of the nuns altar
Predella of the altar nuns
Other Equipment
Notable art treasures of the Church also includes the ornate sacrament house next to the main altar. In the church there also are 49 historic grave plates and other historical works of art, including a representation of the monastery founder Margaret, a representation of Christ blessing, a depiction of the baptism of Christ, and a representation of the Shroud of St. Veronica. The relic at the breast of Jesus figure of the triumphal cross group may be the eponymous alleged cross relic.
Grave plate
Donors portrait Margarete
Organ
The present organ of the monastery church was built in 1964 by the organ builder Alexander Schuke (Potsdam). The mechanical instrument has 33 registers on three manuals and pedal.
- Couplers: II / I, III / I, I / P, II / P
Museum of Cultural History
The idea to use the monastery as a site of a museum already dates from the time of the dissolution of the monastery, 1920. Yet this could not be realized until much later. 1976 was started by a decision of the Council of the City of Rostock the gradual reconstruction and conversion into a museum. The first phase of construction was passed in 1980 on the occasion of the 18th Workers' Festival of the GDR in Rostock. In 1984, the second phase of construction. Further plans were, however, disregarded the renovation of the monastery was at first, probably for lack of funds, incomplete. Only after the peaceful revolution in the GDR in 1989, the plans could be resumed. The repair of the west wing was started in 1997. Today the monastery the Cultural History Museum of the city of Rostock is housed. It includes the largest collection of German Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, and Bernhard A. Böhmer collection of " degenerate art".