Ellwangen Abbey is a Benedictine monastery that existed from 764 to 1460. in the east of modern Württemberg in the city of Ellwangen . Abbey churches, especially the basilica of St. Vita , to this day determine the architectural appearance of the city.
| Monastery | |
| Ellwangen Abbey | |
|---|---|
| Reichsabtei Ellwangen / Kloster Ellwangen | |
 Basilica of St. Vita | |
| A country |  Germany |
| Federal state , city | Baden-Wurttemberg , Ellwangen |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Order affiliation | Benedictines |
| Founder | St. Hariolf and Earlolf |
| First mention | 814 year |
| Established | 764 year |
| Date of Abolition | 1460 year |
| Relics and Shrines | relics of st. Sulpicius II of Bourges, St. Serviliana, St. Vita |
| Status | abolished |
Historical Review
According to the legend set forth in Vita Hariolfi , the monastery was founded in 764 (probably around 750) on the lands of Hariolf ( Hariolf , also Herulf , c. 730-815) and Erlolf, brothers of noble origin, closely associated with the Royal Frankish court, and at various times occupied the episcopal chair in the East Burgundy Langre . On the territory of modern Ellwangen by that time there was already a small Alemannic village, next to which a monastery was dedicated, dedicated to Christ the Savior and the apostles Peter and Paul . In addition, the Virgin Mary and sv. Sulpicius and Servilian, whose relics were donated to Erlolf by Pope Adrian I. The first monks were most likely invited from the Abbey of St. Venigna in Dijon .
Based at the intersection of important trade routes, the monastery quickly received significant donations, including land allotments, and from 775–780. already possessed the status of an imperial monastery . In 814, he was taken under the patronage of King Louis the Pious , who confirmed all the rights of monastic possession and granted him the right to independently choose the abbot. The fame and influence of the monastery grew rapidly, and by the middle of the IX century. it was inhabited by more than 150 priests and monks.
Between 981 and 987 during the abbot Sandrad, a relic of st. Vita (part of the arm), which eventually became the new patron of the abbey.
In the XII century. The main buildings of the monastery were erected: the Romanesque basilica of St. Vita, which was rebuilt and became larger after numerous fires, and the convention - for the general meetings of the members of the abbey. It is known that the first basilica building, located to the west of the modern one, was consecrated in 1124 by the bishops of Augsburg and Konstanz, Hermann von Vohburg and Ulrich I von Cyburg-Dillingen; the second building, erected under the guidance of the master Wunnehardt, was consecrated in October 1233 by Bishop Engelhardt of Naumburg .
After its heyday in the XII-XIII centuries., By the middle of the XIV century. the abbey was faced with a number of problems that led him to a crisis and the subsequent abolition. Plague epidemics, crop failures and abuse of power created a situation of economic and moral decline. At the same time, for the most part of noble origin, the monks fiercely defended their independence, and all reform attempts emanating from the Fulda and Ottoyuren Abbeys were rejected. In 1384, the monastery had only 7 members of the convent convention, in 1430, after the plague epidemic, only 3. As a result, after a city fire in 1443, in which the abbey was badly damaged, the monks moved to town houses and started lead, in general, social life.
In 1459, an appeal was made to the Augsburg bishop for the conversion of the abbey. On January 14, 1460, with the permission of Pope Pius II, the Ellwangen Abbey was abolished with the subsequent establishment of the Ellwangen Principality .
See also
- Principality of Ellwangen
- St. Vitus Basilica (Ellwangen)
Literature
- Otto Beck: Die Stiftsbasilika St. Vitus in Ellwangen - Führer durch ein sehenswertes Gotteshaus. Lindenberg, 2003, ISBN 3-89870-005-4 .