Klingenmünster Abbey

The monastery Klingenmünster was an empire monastery, which was located within the boundaries of the present-day southern Palatinate community Klingenmünster and at the same time was also the germ cell. It was originally called " Monastery Blidenfeld ".

History

Foundation

The monastery was probably built in 626, during the reign of the Merovingian King Dagobert I. ( 622-639 ). For this date there are only following clues:

Further development

On July 25, 782 Charles the Great confirmed the church of Speyer under the bishop Flaido (also Fraido ) the issuance of charges. In the first Reichenauer fraternization list Flaido is mentioned as Abbot of Klingenmünster. The list itself contains no indication years, but Flaido is already known from 780 as Bishop of Speyer.

Around the year 840, burned down the buildings of the monastery and the church roof. In this case, all documents of the monastery were lost. Therefore, the monks asked Archbishop of Mainz Otgar to support and reconstruction of the monastery. In St. Gall monk list Otgar is named as abbot of Klingenmünster. The second Reichenauer fraternization list represents a correction of the St. Gall monk list Otgar is performed here as abbot of Klingenmünster with the addition archbishop.

In the 9th century Hatto I. was abbot of the monastery Empire Klingenmünster.

Heyday of the monastery

In the 11th century stands out another figure from the convent of Klingenmünster. Monk Gottschalk of Aachen from 1071 to 1084 detected as a spiritual notary of Henry IV in the imperial chancery. The monk himself has experienced his education in Klingenmünster by the monk Heinrich. Henry was a great " songwriter " of his time. After completing his work Gottschalk returned to Klingenmünster.

In the 12th century abbot put Stephan ( 1094-1114 ) another cornerstone in the heyday of the monastery. The monastic property was enlarged considerably by endowments, foundations and cheap purchases. Stephan came from Ebersheim monastery and was already abbot of White Castle, Selz and Limburg, before he became abbot of Klingenmünster 1110. In return, in 1110 monk Konrad von Klingenmünster abbot in Ebersheimmünster.

1115 was the Abbey of Adalbert I of Saarbrücken, Archbishop of Mainz, free of all royal, episcopal and Bailiwick union services and loads. However, this did not happen for no reason. Adalbert I was a Count of Saarbrücken and tried to bring his relatives in Klingenmünster in office and dignity. At the beginning of the 13th century monastic property was sold to a large extent already again and passed into the possession of the Counts of Leiningen and Zweibrücken. These also come in straight from the male line of the Counts of Saarbrücken.

1223 Pope Honorius III presented. the monastery under the special protection of the Roman see.

Destruction of the monastery

Due to the different dispositions of the monastery's possessions dwindled the economic and political influence. The noble families in the area left their later born sons of supply reasons to enter the monastery. This created over time a lively visitor traffic of relatives, which is why the monastery and the Order of breeding came in the second half of the 15th century in decline.

1452 Archbishop Dietrich called in a warning letter to the abbey to better breeding. Abbot Bernard (1440-1457) laid down the abbatial office in 1457 in the monastery, because he could not meet the requirements of the warning letter. His successor, Abbot Erpfo brackish blades (1458-1483) led a necessary reform can not succeed. The reform proposals of a further formal notice of Bishop Matthias of pile driving from the year 1469 were also not completed.

1490 were in the abbey only four members of the Convention, which is why Pope Innocent VIII transformed the Abbey on November 18, 1490 into a secular canons. The last abbot Eucharius of Weingarten (1483-1490) was raised for the first provost.

During the tenure of the third Provost, Johann (1499-1506), the monastery suffered a Bavarian feud and the Landshut War of Succession. To stave off the ruin of the pin, pledged provost Johann different villages. Despite repeated letters of the emperor the pen in 1525 was sacked by the peasants of Pleisweiler Oberhofen and the Peasants' War. Leonhard Schnorr (1530-1538) took over as the fifth and last provost of the pen. Probably allowed to enter the office of provost of saving reasons, because in 1538 took over the dean of the line of the pin.

With the progress of the Reformation and the schism came the decline of the monastery. Elector Friedrich III. resulted in the Palatinate, a doctrine of John Calvin. Between 1565 and 1567 all monasteries were abolished and destroyed the facilities. 1567, died the aged Dean Johann Ziegler as the last carrier of the Dean dignity of the congregation. The pen curator Niklaus Will then handed all documents, files and records to the Palatine officials. Thus, the secularization was complete. Niklaus Will was the first secular Dechant.

Today's pictures

Outer wall

The herb garden

Historic buildings