Blaubeuren Abbey

The monastery Blaubeuren Blaubeuren (Württemberg ) was a company founded in 1085 to the monastery of the Benedictine Order in the immediate vicinity of the blue pot, which fell to the Dukes of Württemberg after the Reformation and became a Protestant seminary. Today, the late medieval monastery buildings are used as altsprachliches high school; they are next to the monastery Maulbronn location of the Evangelical seminars Maulbronn and Blaubeuren.

History

The monastery was founded around 1085 on the already outstanding on that place church, which was dedicated to John the Baptist by Anselm and Hugo Count Palatine of Tübingen and Sigiboto of jolt, a close relative. Was settled in the monastery with monks from the monastery Hirsau, which also provided the first abbot (Abt Azelin ) for Blaubeuren. In the first decades of its existence, the monastery was blessed with many possessions and probably experienced a certain flowering period, although it is culturally or not emerged in the church disputes of the time. In the 12th century there followed a new building of the monastery church in Romanesque style, was completed in 1124. After the extinction of the jerk in the same century, the bailiwick remained pfalzgräflich about the monastery in 1282 until it was inherited by the Helfensteiner. In the 14th and early 15th centuries, there was a temporary decline and there are several raw crimes reported. So to have been murdered by monks in 1347, the Prior and 1407 the abbot. At the same time there was also the plague in Central Europe, and the monastery was probably also temporarily depopulated and his estates forfeited. However, by several foundations, the monastery was restored and get back into the possession of his goods. After numerous pledges from 1368 Helfensteiner finally sold in 1447 the monastery administration and town Blaubeuren to Württemberg, exerted the major influence on the Abtswahl. The convent was now very rapidly in importance. 1451 reform of the Church was performed by monks from the monastery Wiblingen. 1456 was the Blaubeurer Abbot Ulrich Knowledgeable in the General Chapter of the Benedictine order, whose presidency was occupied in the aftermath of times with Blaubeurer monks. Was also outstanding Kundigs successor, the Abbot Henry III. Fabri († November 1493 ), is said to have co-founded in 1477 the University of Tübingen and at the back of the basic construction of the monastery. So also his coat of arms is often found in the Monastery: A horseshoe nails and crossed indicate his Entstammung from a family of blacksmiths. Fabris new building began in 1466 had become necessary because of a devastating fire and was probably sponsored by Count Eberhard the Bearded of Württemberg. In 1493 the new building of the choir of the monastery church was completed with the consecration of the high altar. The new building took its full completion in the year 1510.

During the Reformation Blaubeuren was reformed in 1534 by Duke Ulrich of Württemberg, who then moved the monastery. During the Abbot Ambrose Scheerer remained as a monastery administrator until his death in the monastery, Prior and monks went temporarily into exile by Mark village. In the time of the Augsburg Interim although they could return, but the Religious Peace of Augsburg in 1555 confirmed the rightful property of Duke Ulrich's son Christoph von Württemberg, who in 1556 made ​​the Monastery the seat of a Protestant monastery school. Temporarily living the Catholic monks together with the Protestant convent students in the convent until her Tubing abbot arrested and they were expelled. From 1563 to 1570 Matthew Alber was the first Protestant abbot and head of the monastery school.

Today, the monastery buildings are owned by the Evangelical Foundation seminar. You can visit the cloister of the monastery with the Margaret Chapel, chapter house and the choir of the monastery church with the Petri and the Urban chapel.

Construction of the monastery church

The church is composed of five buildings: the nave, central tower, two transept chapels like and elongated choir. Comprised of five bays nave is covered over with a star network vaults and has no on both longitudinal sides of five very in-depth side chapels. The nave is separated by the mighty central tower and a rood screen in the tradition of the mendicant orders strictly by the choir. This is covered by a mesh arch and has a polygonal apse with three- eighths completion on. Striking and unusual (especially for the late 15th century, from the dates of the construction of the church) is the full closure of the choir from the nave. Possibly, these are to reminiscences from the early days of the monastery and the church, as this was under the strong influence of Hirsauer reform, which in turn was dependent on the Cluniac reform. A feature of these reforms, which also affected the design of the churches, was the strict separation of monks' choir for " spirituales " and lay church for the " saeculares ".

Inventory of the monastery church

The choir of the church contains important works of the Ulm School and the German late Gothic carving, which were created in the course of the construction of the church and the choir. The choir comes from the workshop Jörg Syrlins this year and recalls in the design of the choir of his father Jörg Syrlin the Elder. at the Minster. It is decorated with tracery and figural representations, eg free plastic half-length figures of prophets and founders. Also by Jörg Syrlin this year the three- seat was created, which is located right next to the altar. It is more expensive than the choir stalls designed and shows, among other things the relief of a sleeping man, what was probably originally part of a representation of the Tree of Jesse, from the many items are lost today. Branch turrets and ornamentation of both the three- seat, as well as the choir stalls are very similar to the conversation narrowness of the high altar, which probably can suggest that Jörg Syrlin this year is also responsible for the construction and architecture of the altarpiece. The monumental shrine figures, however, and the reliefs on the inner side of the inner wing and the conversation Tight figures have been in the workshop of Michel Erhart, probably in collaboration with his son Gregor Erhart created. Various painters eventually took over the panel paintings of the altar wings and the wording of the sculptures, including especially the Ulm painter Bartholomew Zeitblom and Memminger painter Bernhard Striegel.

Museums

In the former bath house the monks Blaubeurer Heritage Museum is housed in the former office building, the literary memorial Schubartstube.

Selected pictures

Cloister garden ( herb garden )

Pump room

High altar ( shrine and predella )

Epitaph of Anselm of Nenningen