Fredelsloh Abbey

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Blasius and Marien in Fredelsloh, a district of Moringen, is a major monument of Romanesque art in Lower Saxony.

History

The church is the only remnant of an extensive monastic complex dating from the 12th century. The Archbishop of Mainz Adalbert I had founded in 1132 the Augustinian Canons under the patronage of St. Blasius. Collegiate church and convent buildings were constructed in the following decades. The foundation by the Archbishop of Mainz was also motivated by the fact that Fredelsloh then lay on the border of the Archbishopric of Mainz, during almost all of the Solling was under the Bishopric of Paderborn. Mainz tried thus to forestall a possible encroachment of Paderborn and equipped the new pen with enormous land and income from. Thus confirmed in 1138 Archbishop Adalbert II the foundation of its predecessor and gave her several decades.

Still in the construction phase, 1144-1146, the plant to a female convent has been extended to the double monastery. The church received a nuns' gallery with separate access. At that time, the second patron saint of the Mother of God should be added. With a deed of 1146, Pope Eugene III. the canons and women's pin under Propst Bertram Fredelsloh in his protection and confirmed its possessions, especially the two churches in 1142 transferred Stöckheim and Markoldendorf. In addition, he granted the free Propst choice. More from the 12th century surviving charters witness protection measures granted in 1153 by King Frederick I in 1155, and by Archbishop Arnold of Mainz. The latter also has contributed to the Convention pastoral care in two newly created villages and gave him the local tithe.

The counts of Dassel are attested, as governors for the 13th century. Towards the end of the 13th century left the canons of the monastery. A fire in 1290 caused severe damage to parts of the monastery. The following centuries were characterized by economic and cultural decline.

1542 was carried out the Reformation in the Principality of Calenberg. The monastery of St. Blasius and Mary was the Guelph Fund monastery (now convent chamber Hanover ) and is consisted as a Protestant convent until the Thirty Years' War. The last documented testimony of a pin Dame dates from the year 1660.

After the end of the pin, the convent buildings were used as a quarry, and finally completely removed. Since the small village community church belonged to Moringen, used to the collegiate church as a granary. Well in this period, the retaining wall was drafted, which separates the west wing from the rest of church.

In the 20th century St. Mary of the Blasius and the church circle line Solling - associated community was put back into liturgical use. Its present form was domed with a profound restoration by the Klosterkammer around 1970.

Church

The outer shape of the built of Weser sandstone church is largely the original. The three-aisled basilica with a transept geosteten are prefixed two square towers with a gable roof in the west. The rectangular choir includes a half-height apse. Two smaller apses are located on the East Side of the transept arms in extension of the aisles. The architectural decoration is limited to bow frieze under the eaves and cornices wandgliedernde. The main entrance is located on the northern transept.

As once considered the half staircase tower, which is inserted as a West apse between the towers and gives a spiral staircase access to the nuns' gallery. The installation of these partially concealed double- spiral staircase is dated to the 13th century, in a period, then, had come back in the regional rulers as Ludolf of Dassel II of Crusades. Such stairs were otherwise disseminated only in the Orient.

The effect of the interior is affected by the retaining wall of the 17th century. The west building is thus not accessible. The regular alternation of supports of columns and pillars was blurred for repairs after the fire of 1290. In the choir there are twelve apostles reliefs from the 14th century. The stained glass windows date from the 1970s.