Plan of Saint Gall

The St. Gall Monastery Plan is the earliest representation of a monastery district of the Middle Ages. He was probably 819-826 in the monastery of Reichenau and is owned by the Abbey Library of St. Gallen. It is kept there under the name of Codex 1092. On display is a facsimile.

Description

The Monastery Plan has a size of 112 cm x 77.5 cm and consists of five sewn-together pieces of parchment, which are held together with white threads intestine. We started working with the central part of the plan with church and retreat, later the canvas was pieced. The type of lettering and the drawing indicate that the Anstückungen have already been made during the work.

Despite some damage by previous folds - the damaged areas were sewn with green silk threads - the plan is well preserved. The red Menningefarbe has come off at a few points on the inner edge of the additions, where the plan was folded. The inscriptions are executed in steady characteristic style in brown-black ink. Sometimes the ink has faded, so that here and there were difficulties in decoding.

At the turn of the 12th to the 13th century, the plan was damaged in the northwest corner. At that time a monk had the back of the plan used to write the life of Saint Martin. To simplify the plan was folded according to the described columns. When it turned out that the place was not enough, the monk scratched the big building on the northwest corner there to write down the end of his narrative. In the 19th century it was attempted to make with chemical liquids weggekratzten Make visible again, but the damage you dished was greater than the benefits. It remained bruises and the games are definitely spoiled.

On April 20, 1949, the plan at the Swiss National Museum was detached from the canvas on which he had been brought in the 17th or 18th century for reinforcement. This makes it no longer appears in a dark brown, but much brighter.

Content

The Monastery Plan showing floor plans of some fifty buildings, whose names and functions in 333 tituli ( inscriptions ), are described. The largest and drawn most accurate building of the complex is the monastery church to the scriptorium, sacristy, join an accommodation for visiting monks and goal areas, followed by the grouped around a square cloister cloistered, the area of ​​the monks ' dormitory, refectory, latrine facilities, laundry, kitchen, bakery and brewery. Further, a guest house, the Palatinate of the abbot, Hospital and a novice home, sharing a double chapel, and drawn numerous farm buildings and craft shops as well as gardens, fences, walls and paths. The building could offer more than 100 monks and some 200 workers and servants place.

Interpretations and theories of research

Given the long and active history of research today compete different interpretations that could not be resolved without contradiction anywhere so far. On some points, however, did produce a broad consensus.

So today is considered the preparation of the plan in the monastery of Reichenau as virtually certain as a window of time between about 819 and about 837 with a focus on the early years, while there is disagreement about a more precise dating. Florian Huber believes in the inscription of the geese Stalls a chronogram with the year to recognize 819.

An examination of the manuscripts by Bernhard Bischoff, paleograph and connoisseur of Medieval Latin, revealed that the plan of two scribes was labeled and written in Alemannic minuscule inscriptions of Reginbert come, the, teacher and librarian in the Reichenau monastery was under Abbot Haito writer. One of the manuscripts in the monastery plan is consistent with the handwriting of a Life of Saint Martin, which was written by Reginbert.

As the sender of the plan Haito is believed abbot of the monastery of Reichenau. As a counselor of Charlemagne, he held a high rank, but was still peer colleague of St. Gall Abbot. Haito 822 had waived all honors and went to live as a monk in the monastery of Reichenau, where he died in 835.

Angelus A. Häussling suspected in 2002 as the " mastermind " of the plan the Reichenauer monk and abbot Walahfried Strabo ( 808/809-849 ), which would, however, point to a late date to 837.

We discuss different scales of the plan. Last Florian Huber is in scale 1 2002, with good reason: 160 calculated and made ​​use of the ancient Roman foot ( pes monetalis ) of 29.62 cm length believable.

Walter Horn held in 1979 the plan for a copy because he could find no signs of wear. Since the late 1970s, however, more and more signs tracks ( blind grooves, shaves ) were detected on the parchment.

What is the purpose of the monastic plan was made ​​is not clear. According to the dedicatory inscription of the plan for Abbot Gozbert was made, who headed the monastery of St. Gall 816-837. Gozbert left in the year 830 demolish the existing monastery church and replace it with a new building, but the then established church stands in no relation to the representation on the Monastery Plan. Therefore, the research provides the Monastery Plan less than concrete construction drawing for Abbot Gozbert, but more as a general proposal to look like an ideal or typical monastery, which could be anywhere in Europe. The is however contradicted with regard to the sense of scale of the plan.

The free-standing towers, which are north of the Alps hardly to be found, and the arrangement of the buildings ( the important buildings such as the library, scriptorium, school and Abtspfalz are housed in " cool " places ) also led to the assumption that the plan originated in the South could be. It is also unclear who was allowed to speak to the abbot Gozbert in the dedication with dulcissime fili ( beloved son). The text of the inscription reads:

" Haec tibi dulcissime fili cozb (s) te de posicione officinarum paucis examplata direxi, quibus sollertiam exerceas tuam, meamq (ue ) devotione (m) utcumq (ue ) cognoscas, qua tuae bonae voluntari satisfacere me segnem non inveniri confido. Ne suspiceris autem me haic ideo elaborasse, quod vos putemus n (ost ) ris indigere magisteriis, sed potius whether amore (m) dei tibi soli p ( s) scrutinanda pinxisse amicabili fr ( ater) nitatis intuitu crede. Vale Chr ( is ) o semp (s) memor n ( ost) ri ame (s) "

Translation:

" For you, my dearest son Gozbert, I wrote this copy, with brief remarks of the plan of the monastic buildings, which you exercise your ingenuity and what do you like see my devotion; you can trust me that I will not Tarry to fulfill your desires. Do not imagine that I have undertaken this task in the assumption that you're dependent on our instructions, but rather think that I have this drawn out of God's love and of friendship, fraternal zeal for your viewing only. Farewell in Christ and always think of us, Amen. "

Modern replica

An exact replica of St. Gall Monastery Plan was begun in the southern German city Meßkirch in June 2013. With the establishment of the monastery complex used for the purposes of experimental archeology as much as possible contemporary building materials and methods used to obtain promises to scientific knowledge about Carolingian architecture and engineering. Launched from Aachen journalists Bert M. Geurten construction project receives a public launch aid amounting to around one million euros; the cost should be worn similar to the castle guedelon by income as a tourist attraction. On the medieval building site to 20 to 30 builders are permanent; the construction period is estimated to be about 40 years.