Anna Salome of Manderscheid-Blankenheim
Encyclopedia
Anna Salome of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (*born: 12 December 1628; died: 15 March 1691) was from 1648 to 1688 Abbess
of Thorn Abbey
, and from 1688 until her death the abbess of Essen Abbey
.
and a few years later, one from Essen as well. Only eight years after het entry into Thorn Abbey, she was elected abbess at the age of only twenty. This was partly due to the fact that the Manderscheid and related families held a majority of the prebends, and also to Anna Salome's personal influence and ability.
She was highly educated and when she died, she left a private library of over one hundred books. The catalogue includes books on political, legal, geographical, historical subjects and even on medical instruments. Anna Salome ruled her abbeys herself, and even wrote legal briefs for her abbey in Essen.
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of Thorn Abbey
Thorn Abbey
Thorn Abbey or Imperial Abbey of Thorn was an imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire in was is now the Netherlands. The capital was Thorn. It was founded in th 10th century; independence ended in 1794, when it was occupied by French troops...
, and from 1688 until her death the abbess of Essen Abbey
Essen Abbey
Essen Abbey was a collegiate foundation for women of the high nobility in Essen. It was founded in about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid , later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, near a royal estate called Astnidhi, which later gave its name to the religious house and to the town...
.
Life
Anna was a daughter of Count John Arnold of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1605–1644) and his wife Antoinette Elisabeth of Manderscheid-Gerolstein (1608–1650). In 1640, Anna Salome and her three years younger sister Clara Elisabeth of Manderscheid-Blankenheim, received a prebend in Thorn AbbeyThorn Abbey
Thorn Abbey or Imperial Abbey of Thorn was an imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire in was is now the Netherlands. The capital was Thorn. It was founded in th 10th century; independence ended in 1794, when it was occupied by French troops...
and a few years later, one from Essen as well. Only eight years after het entry into Thorn Abbey, she was elected abbess at the age of only twenty. This was partly due to the fact that the Manderscheid and related families held a majority of the prebends, and also to Anna Salome's personal influence and ability.
She was highly educated and when she died, she left a private library of over one hundred books. The catalogue includes books on political, legal, geographical, historical subjects and even on medical instruments. Anna Salome ruled her abbeys herself, and even wrote legal briefs for her abbey in Essen.