Bottenbroich Abbey
Encyclopedia
Bottenbroich Abbey, later Bottenbroich Priory , was a former Cistercian religious house located in Bottenbroich, now in Frechen
, about three kilometres north-east of Kerpen
, in the present Rhein-Erft-Kreis
of North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
. Thanks to an image of the Pietà
of 1420, the place became a centre for the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1448 the abbey fell into financial distress and its administration was handed over to Kamp Abbey, who re-settled it as a dependent priory of monks and restored its financial well-being. With the support of the von Hemmersbach family, who used Bottenbroich as their family monastery and place of burial, a new church was built, which was consecrated in 1484.
Between 1480 and 1486 the monks of Bottenbroich established Mariawald Abbey
to oversee another Marian pilgrimage site.
In 1777 the priory was subordinated to Marienstatt Abbey, and established as a provostry; the monks were re-settled to Marienstatt and Mariawald Abbeys.
Bottenbroich Priory was dissolved in 1802 during the course of the general secularisation
of this part of Germany. The monastic church became the parish church.
In 1951 the entire village of Bottenbroich, including the former monastic church and all other structural remains of the monastery, was demolished to make way for the Frechen brown coal strip mine (Tagebau), and the inhabitants moved to Neu-Bottenbroich. The medieval Pietà
is now situated in the Church of the Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Grefrath in Frechen.
In September 2006 in the presence of the monks of Stiepel Priory
in Bochum
a sundial
was set up as a memorial in the Marienfeld on the site of the former monastery, bearing the arms of Morimond Abbey
, mother house of Kamp Abbey.
Frechen
Frechen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Frechen was first mentioned in 877. It is situated at the western Cologne city border....
, about three kilometres north-east of Kerpen
Kerpen
Kerpen is a town in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany. It is located about 30 kilometers southwest from Cologne.-Division of the town:...
, in the present Rhein-Erft-Kreis
Rhein-Erft-Kreis
The Rhein-Erft-Kreis is a district in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Neuss, district-free Cologne, Rhein-Sieg, Euskirchen, Düren.-History:...
of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
Bottenbroich Abbey was founded in either 1231 or 1234 by Provost Gottfried of Münstereifel as a Cistercian nunnery, under the supervision of Kamp AbbeyKamp Abbey
Kamp Abbey , also known as Altenkamp Abbey or Altfeld Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery founded in German territory, in the present town of Kamp-Lintfort in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:It was founded in 1123 by Friedrich I, Archbishop of Cologne, and settled from Morimond Abbey...
. Thanks to an image of the Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
of 1420, the place became a centre for the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 1448 the abbey fell into financial distress and its administration was handed over to Kamp Abbey, who re-settled it as a dependent priory of monks and restored its financial well-being. With the support of the von Hemmersbach family, who used Bottenbroich as their family monastery and place of burial, a new church was built, which was consecrated in 1484.
Between 1480 and 1486 the monks of Bottenbroich established Mariawald Abbey
Mariawald Abbey
Mariawald Abbey is a monastery of the Trappists , located above the village of Heimbach, in the district of Düren in the Eifel, in the forests around Mount Kermeter, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
to oversee another Marian pilgrimage site.
In 1777 the priory was subordinated to Marienstatt Abbey, and established as a provostry; the monks were re-settled to Marienstatt and Mariawald Abbeys.
Bottenbroich Priory was dissolved in 1802 during the course of the general secularisation
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
of this part of Germany. The monastic church became the parish church.
In 1951 the entire village of Bottenbroich, including the former monastic church and all other structural remains of the monastery, was demolished to make way for the Frechen brown coal strip mine (Tagebau), and the inhabitants moved to Neu-Bottenbroich. The medieval Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
is now situated in the Church of the Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt) in Grefrath in Frechen.
Present day
In 2004 the site of the church, which in the meantime had been re-cultivated, was named Marienfeld in commemoration of its former significance as a pilgrimage destination.In September 2006 in the presence of the monks of Stiepel Priory
Stiepel Priory
Stiepel Priory is a Cistercian monastery in Stiepel in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.It was founded in 1988 at the instigation of Franz Hengsbach, first Bishop of the Diocese of the Ruhr...
in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
was set up as a memorial in the Marienfeld on the site of the former monastery, bearing the arms of Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbeyis a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south,...
, mother house of Kamp Abbey.