Abbey of St. Blasius

Abbey of St. Blasius ( German: Kloster St. Blasien ) - a former Benedictine monastery in the name of St. Blasia in the German city of St. Blasien in the southern Black Forest .

Monastery
Abbey of St. Blasius
Kloster St. Blasien
A country	Germany
Federal state , city	Baden-Wurttemberg , St. Blasien
Denomination	Catholicism
Diocese	(former) Constancy diocese
Order affiliation	(former) Benedictines
Type of	joint male and female
Founder	Siegemar, Reginbert von Söldenbüren
First mention	06/08/1065
Established	IX century
Date of Abolition	07/12/1807
Relics and Shrines	relics of Blasius of Sebaste
Status	parish church, Jesuit college of st. Blasia
condition	abolished

The monastery is known, first of all, for its impressive size church in the style of early classicism , because of its size called the Black Forest Cathedral , and erected by Franz Salzmann ( German: Franz Joseph Salzmann , 1724-1786) according to the project of the Lorraine architect Nicholas Pigage ( fr. Nicolas de Pigage , 1723-1796). The dome of the church, which is 36 meters wide and 62 meters high, is considered one of the largest in Europe.

According to legend, already in the 9th century (in 856, or in 858) on this place, apparently a noble origin Zigemar ( German: Sigemar ), the hermitage monastery Cella Alba was founded, which later went to the jurisdiction of Rainau Abbey . At the same time, under Abbot Fintan, the relics of St. Blasius of Sevastia, some of whom ended up in the Black Forest. It is possible that at the beginning of the X century the monastery was abandoned, which explains the story of the later foundation of the monastery by Reginbert von Seldenbüren ( German: Reginbert von Seldenbüren , † 964), who became its first rector. Reginbert was a close associate of Otto I , receiving from him significant land plots in the southern Black Forest and on the Rhine , which he transferred to the monastery.

The first stone church was erected here around 950, and its consecration was conducted by the Bishop of Constantine Gaminolf .

In 983, Otto II endowed the monastery with a number of land holdings such as Bernau , Mentsenschwand (now part of the city of St. Blasien), Blasivald (part of the Schluchsee community) and Höhenschwand .

In the period from 1013 to 1036 a new three- nave monastery church was erected; in 1084 - the church of St. Stephen, consecrated in 1085 by Chatillon de Lazeri, who soon occupied the papal chair under the name Urbana II . Then, in 1068-1086, the territory of the abbey was significantly expanded after Henry IV confirmed a number of monastic privileges. Thanks to the generous land donation of Rudolf Reinfeldensky and his allies, the monastery was able to further expand its holdings and strengthen influence in the region in the 1070s.

Completely destroyed by fire in 1322, the monastery was rebuilt and rebuilt in the Gothic style by 1348. Further destruction followed in 1525 during the Peasant War and in 1634 during the Thirty Years War .

In the XVIII century (1728-1742) under the abbot Franz II, the monastery buildings were completely rebuilt in the Baroque style according to the design of the Austrian architect Johann Michael Beer von Bleichten ( German: Johann Michael Beer von Bleichten ). However, already in 1768 the church and most of the buildings fell victim to a major fire, the consequences of which were finally eliminated by the end of 1781, when a solemn mass was celebrated in the new church.

In 1806-1807, the Baden government announced the dissolution of the monastery and the confiscation of its property. As a result, most of the monks, along with Abbot Prince Bertold Rottler ( German: Berthold Rottler , 1748-1826) left the monastery, taking with them part of the art collection of the monastery (among other things - a richly decorated medieval crucifix, the so-called “Queen Adelheid’s cross”), and the remains of the twelve members of the Habsburg clan, shortly before being transferred to the abbey; with the permission of Franz II in 1809, they settled the abbey of St. Abolished in the 1780s. Paul ( German: Stift St. Paul im Lavanttal ) in the Lavant Valley in Carinthia .

The abbey buildings were then used for a long time as one of the largest spinning mills in Germany (until 1931).

Since 1934, on the territory of the former monastery, a Jesuit boarding school of St. Blasia ( German: Kolleg St. Blasien ).

• 

  General view of the former monastery from a bird's flight

• 

  Former monastery church

• 

  The interior of the church

• 

  Monastery buildings