Comburg
Encyclopedia
Comburg was a Benedictine monastery near Schwäbisch Hall
in Baden-Württemberg
in Germany
.
It was founded in the late 1070s by the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg on the site of their castle. They retained the office of Vogt
, which continued until their extinction in the Staufer
dynasty. The first monks were from Brauweiler Abbey
, but in the 1080s an abbot from Hirsau Abbey
was appointed, and this brought Comburg into the movement of the Hirsau Reforms.
The monks of Comburg were exclusively of noble birth, and accordingly resisted the Benedictine reforms (the Melk Reforms
) of the 15th century, under the pressure of which the monastery became a collegiate foundation in 1488, rather than admit non-nobles to the community.
In 1587 Comburg was mediatised
by Württemberg
, which brought to an end its status as an Imperial abbey.
The community was secularised in 1803. The library survives in the Württemberg State Library, but the church treasure was melted down in the Ludwigsburg
mint.
The buildings have had a number of uses since then. Until 1909 a regiment of invalid soldiers (the ) was based here. During World War II
the site was used for a variety of training purposes and also at one point as a prisoner of war camp. After the war it was used briefly for housing displaced persons, but since 1947 it has housed a teacher training establishment.
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
in 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...
.
It was founded in the late 1070s by the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg on the site of their castle. They retained the office of Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
, which continued until their extinction in the Staufer
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
dynasty. The first monks were from Brauweiler Abbey
Brauweiler Abbey
Brauweiler Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery located at Brauweiler, now in Pulheim near Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany....
, but in the 1080s an abbot from Hirsau Abbey
Hirsau Abbey
Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most prominent Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It was located in the town of Hirsau, in the Diocese of Speyer, near Calw in the present Baden-Württemberg.-History:...
was appointed, and this brought Comburg into the movement of the Hirsau Reforms.
The monks of Comburg were exclusively of noble birth, and accordingly resisted the Benedictine reforms (the Melk Reforms
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey or Stift Melk is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley....
) of the 15th century, under the pressure of which the monastery became a collegiate foundation in 1488, rather than admit non-nobles to the community.
In 1587 Comburg was mediatised
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....
by Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, which brought to an end its status as an Imperial abbey.
The community was secularised in 1803. The library survives in the Württemberg State Library, but the church treasure was melted down in the Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
mint.
The buildings have had a number of uses since then. Until 1909 a regiment of invalid soldiers (the ) was based here. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the site was used for a variety of training purposes and also at one point as a prisoner of war camp. After the war it was used briefly for housing displaced persons, but since 1947 it has housed a teacher training establishment.