Franziskanerkloster (Dresden)

The Franciscan or Franciscan mendicant was a Franciscan monastery in Dresden, which was first documented in 1272.

History

The monastery was a foundation of the Meissen Margrave Heinrich the Illustrious. Because Dresden in a religious chapter was held by the Minoritenprovinzial the Saxon province of the order brother Bartholomew in 1265, the monastery must have already existed at that time. However, no concrete foundation date is not known, researchers date the founding to the period between 1240 and shortly before the 1265th

For the first time the monastery in a document from 1272, the parish was Seußlitzer concerning, mentioned in the description " in domo minorum fratrum ". A letter from the year 1279 a brother John as Guardianus to Dresden. In 1321 the monastery was enlarged under Margrave Friedrich I.. Friedrich III. donated to the monastery in 1351 a new church, which until 1962 had changed significantly as Sophia inventory. A fire in 1407 is said to have destroyed a large part of the monastic buildings.

The Council of Dresden managed the monastery income since 1410 and appointed for it in two Klosterverweser among his men. In 1539 the Reformation was introduced in Saxony and banned Catholic worship and monasteries. In the monastery lived at the time, five monks and two lay brothers. In 1541, Duke Henry the Pious gave the Council of the city of Dresden, the monastery and the monastery church, but did not use the building. His successor Moritz taught in 1544 in the sacristy of the monastery an armory one. After the construction of a separate armory in 1563 the monastery rooms for the storage of salt, grain and other supplies were used, it was set up a workshop for wine runners of the Wine Cellars and the electoral Brauhaus and furnished to others parts of the plant as stables and coachman apartments. By 1775 parts of the plant also served as washing and cooking house.

In the 17th century parts of the monastic buildings were demolished. Other sections of the monastery were canceled in 1775 and the last remnants of the church eventually eliminated except 1820.

Location and monastery

The monastery was founded on a "fairly unnoticed place ... near the city wall ." It was close to the Margrave's castle, behind the monastery flowed the main branch of the Kaitzbaches.

The monastery was on the north- western exit of the Great and Little Brothers alley, which were named after him. The Little Brothers alley was first mentioned in 1370 as Perva platea minorum, the Great Brüdergasse was first in 1362 as the Great Brudirgasse documentary mention. Both roads were called in the vernacular until the first half of the 18th century monastery alley, access to the monastery was across the Little Brothers alley.

The grounds of the monastery, whose buildings were kept simple and modest reveals why a 1550 resulting sketch:

" The smaller monastery courtyard was surrounded by three two-storey wings and follows on from the north side of the monastery church. Another yard with a built in 1486 summer house, according to the calculations probably with seven cells, was located on the northwest corner of the church. "

North of the monastery was the monastery garden. Opposite the monastery was located in the Great Brüdergasse a control house of the Poor Clares, the confessor of the men were sent to the monastery and attended the church of the monastery.

The Franciscan Church

The first church of the monastery was a small and inconspicuous chapel, which was replaced in 1351 by an unadorned building in accordance with the rules of the Order. As a church sermon, the building had a hall-like interior, which allowed all believers the good listening to the sermon. The church was built two naves with two choral plants and " claimed [ thus ] in the German architecture a special place ." Normally nave hall churches were only after lack of space by mounting a second nave two-aisled to a plant.

Both nave of the abbey church were equal and were separated by three free pillars inside. In 1421 the eastern part of the church was extended by architect Nicholas Moller west two bays. In the second half of the 15th century the church was vaulted in the interior.

The church was extended in 1400 to those grown in the south choir, five feet wide and eight feet long, Busmannkapelle, which was named after the founding family Busmann. It was designed as a burial chapel of the family. The surviving Konsolplastiken the Lorenz Busmann ( † before 1412 ) and his wife, who were placed in the chapel, are the earliest known representations Dresden inhabitants. The members of the family belonged to the Franciscan Brotherhood Busmann and were buried in the costume of the Franciscans.

After the Reformation, the church was used under conditions other than supplies room. For this, among other things, the windows were bricked up and fed grain soils. The 1555 formulated the request of the Council of the City of Elector August to be able to use the monastery church again as a sacred building, was not complied with. Only when the old woman and the old church cross church no longer sufficient as burial sites, a renewed request of the city council in 1596 was granted. The Council requested in its application only to the return of the " church with the two Getraideböden and d [ e] s small [n ] Vorhöfchen [s ] against the big brothers alley ", but not the remaining Klosterbesitzungen. In June 1599, the City Council took over the monastery church, which had been severely damaged by years of abnormal use and maintenance had to be set. Although the mediation of the court preacher, Polycarp Leyser, Sophie of Brandenburg to win as financial backers for restoration, failed, the church was first named after its restoration in 1602 as the " Church S. Sophia " and consecrated in the name of " to Sanct Sophia ". Sophie of Brandenburg was the church later rich foundations and works of art, so the Nosseni Altar, are responsible.

Ownership and income

The Dresden Convention had initially far from the monastery numerous orchards, but had to give way to the Bearded of the fortification under George. In Dippoldiswalde and Pirna there was ever a Terminierhaus of the order in which brothers who were within their districts begging money einsammelten (so-called " determinants " ) stay. However, in contrast to the Augustinian monastery in Old Dresden, the Franciscans had no extensive possessions.

Their main source of income was the burial right that was taken by the lay brothers of the Order to complete. In Dresden were all guilds, such as the shoemakers and tailors, organized in the brotherhood of the Franciscans - from the funerals of members scored the monastery its revenue. The funeral of a shoemaker cost by preserved monasteries invoices between five and six dimes, a tailor, the ten pieces of silver. The often occurred as a lay brother in the Order were citizens of the monastery as a founder of importance, the Schneider called after the dissolution of the monastery during the Reformation back their donated chalice. Finally, the low financial revenue and grants accelerated after the Reformation, the rapid dissolution of the monastery.