Einsiedeln Abbey
Encyclopedia
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery
in the town of Einsiedeln
in the Canton of Schwyz
, Switzerland
. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated. It is a territorial abbacy
and not part of a diocese.
, an island in Lake Constance
, under his kinsmen Abbots Hatto and Erlebald, where he became a monk and was ordained. After some years at Reichenau, and the dependent priory of Bollingen
, on Lake Zurich
, he embraced an eremitical life and established his hermit
age on the slopes of Etzel (mountain)
, taking with him a wonder-working statue of Our Lady which he had been given by the Abbess Hildegarde of Zurich
. He died in 861 at the hands of robbers who coveted the treasures offered at the shrine by devout pilgrims, but during the next eighty years the place was never without one or more hermits emulating Saint Meinrad's example. One of them, named Eberhard, previously Provost of Strassburg, erected a monastery and church there, of which he became first abbot.
The church was miraculously consecrated, so the legend runs, in 948, by Christ himself assisted by the Four Evangelists, St. Peter, and St. Gregory the Great. This event was investigated and confirmed by Pope Leo VIII
and subsequently ratified by many of his successors, the last ratification being by Pope Pius VI
in 1793, who confirmed the acts of all his predecessors.
In 965 Gregory, the third Abbot of Einsiedeln, was made a prince of the empire by Otto I, and his successors continued to enjoy the same dignity up to the cessation of the empire in the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1274 the abbey, with its dependencies, was created an independent principality
by Rudolf I of Germany, over which the abbot exercised temporal as well as spiritual jurisdiction. It continued independent until the French Revolution
. The abbey
is now what is termed nullius dioecesis, the abbot having quasi-episcopal authority over ten parishes served by the monks and comprising nearly twenty thousand souls.
For the learning and piety of its monks Einsiedeln has been famous for a thousand years, and many saints and scholars have lived within its walls. The study of letters, printing, and music have greatly flourished there, and the abbey has contributed largely to the glory of the Benedictine Order. It is true that discipline declined somewhat in the fifteenth century and the rule became relaxed, but Ludovicus II, a monk of St. Gall who was Abbot of Einsiedeln 1526-44, succeeded in restoring the stricter observance.
In the sixteenth century the religious disturbances caused by the spread of the Protestant Reformation
in Switzerland were a source of trouble for some time. Zwingli himself was at Einsiedeln for a while, and used the opportunity for protesting against the famous pilgrimages, but the storm passed over and the abbey was left in peace. Abbot Augustine I (1600–29) was the leader of the movement which resulted in the erection of the Swiss Congregation
of the Order of St. Benedict in 1602, and he also did much for the establishment of unrelaxed observance in the abbey and for the promotion of a high standard of scholarship and learning amongst his monks.
The pilgrimages, just mentioned, which have never ceased since the days of St Meinrad, have tended to make Einsiedeln the rival even of Rome
, Loreto
and Santiago de Compostela
and constitute one of the features for which the abbey is chiefly celebrated. The pilgrims number from 150,000 to 200,000 annually, from all parts of Catholic Europe. The miraculous statue of Our Lady, originally set up by St Meinrad and later enthroned in the little chapel erected by Eberhard, is the object of their devotion. This chapel stands within the great abbey church, in much the same way as the Holy House at Loreto, encased in marbles and precious woodwork and elaborately decorated, though it has been so often restored, rebuilt and adorned with the offerings of pilgrims that it may be doubted whether much of the original sanctuary still remains.
September 14 and October 13 are the chief pilgrimage days, the former being the anniversary of the miraculous consecration of Eberhard's basilica and the latter that of the translation of St Meinrad's relics from Reichenau
to Einsiedeln in 1039. The millenary of St Meinrad was kept there with great splendour in 1861. The great church has been many times rebuilt, the last time by Abbot Maurus between the years 1704 and 1719 and one of its chief treasures now is a magnificent corona presented by Napoleon III when he made a pilgrimage there in 1865. The library
, which dates from 946, contains nearly 50,000 volumes and many priceless manuscripts. The work of the monks is divided chiefly between prayer, the confessional and study. At pilgrimage times the number of confessions heard is very large.
In 2004 the community numbered 90 priests and 40 lay brother
s. Attached to the abbey are a seminary and a college for about 260 pupils who are taught by the monks who also direct six convents of nuns. In 1854 a colony was sent to the United States
from Einsiedeln to minister to the local German-speaking population. From St. Meinrad Archabbey
, St. Meinrad
, Indiana
, which was the first settlement, daughter-houses were founded and in 1881 these were formed into the Swiss-American Congregation, which in 2004 comprised 15 monasteries from Canada
in the north down to Guatemala
, 10 of which were directly founded from Einsiedeln. In the fall of 1887, Abbey Einsiedeln sent eight novices and a friar to Subiaco, Arkansas
, United States
. A monk, Gall D'Aujourd'hui (Fr. Gall), is considered to be the co-founder of Subiaco Abbey and Academy
. Martin (Stefan) Werlen, the 58th Abbot of Einsiedeln was elected in 2001.
, Franz Fassbind, Philipp Etter
, Hans Hürlimann
and his son Thomas Hürlimann
, Bruno Frick
, Anatole Taubman
and Josef Ackermann.
are a double monastery
, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in the town of Einsiedeln
Einsiedeln, Switzerland
Einsiedeln is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey. Einsiedeln is also the birthplace of Paracelsus, a Renaissance physician and alchemist who is credited with first naming zinc.-Prehistoric...
in the Canton of Schwyz
Canton of Schwyz
Schwyz is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne in the east and Lake Zurich in the north, centered around and named after the town of Schwyz....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated. It is a territorial abbacy
Territorial abbot
A territorial abbey is a type of particular church within the Roman Catholic Church.Normally an abbot is the superior of an abbey , and exercises authority over a religious family of monks. His authority extends only as far as the monastery's walls, or only to the monks who have taken their vows...
and not part of a diocese.
History
Saint Meinrad, of the family of the Counts of Hohenzollern, was educated at the abbey school of ReichenauReichenau Island
Reichenau Island lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany, at approximately . It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838...
, an island in Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, under his kinsmen Abbots Hatto and Erlebald, where he became a monk and was ordained. After some years at Reichenau, and the dependent priory of Bollingen
Bollingen
Bollingen is a village within the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.- Geography :The village is located along the northern shore of the upper Lake Zurich between Jona and Schmerikon...
, on Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
, he embraced an eremitical life and established his hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
age on the slopes of Etzel (mountain)
Etzel (mountain)
The Etzel is a mountain in the Alps on the south side of Lake Zurich in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland....
, taking with him a wonder-working statue of Our Lady which he had been given by the Abbess Hildegarde of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. He died in 861 at the hands of robbers who coveted the treasures offered at the shrine by devout pilgrims, but during the next eighty years the place was never without one or more hermits emulating Saint Meinrad's example. One of them, named Eberhard, previously Provost of Strassburg, erected a monastery and church there, of which he became first abbot.
The church was miraculously consecrated, so the legend runs, in 948, by Christ himself assisted by the Four Evangelists, St. Peter, and St. Gregory the Great. This event was investigated and confirmed by Pope Leo VIII
Pope Leo VIII
Pope Leo VIII , a Roman by birth, is considered by the Church an Antipope from 963 to 964 and a true Pope from 964 to 965. He held the lay office of protoserinus when he was elected pope by the Roman synod in December 963, when it also invalidly deposed Pope John XII , who was still alive...
and subsequently ratified by many of his successors, the last ratification being by Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
in 1793, who confirmed the acts of all his predecessors.
In 965 Gregory, the third Abbot of Einsiedeln, was made a prince of the empire by Otto I, and his successors continued to enjoy the same dignity up to the cessation of the empire in the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1274 the abbey, with its dependencies, was created an independent principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
by Rudolf I of Germany, over which the abbot exercised temporal as well as spiritual jurisdiction. It continued independent until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. The abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
is now what is termed nullius dioecesis, the abbot having quasi-episcopal authority over ten parishes served by the monks and comprising nearly twenty thousand souls.
For the learning and piety of its monks Einsiedeln has been famous for a thousand years, and many saints and scholars have lived within its walls. The study of letters, printing, and music have greatly flourished there, and the abbey has contributed largely to the glory of the Benedictine Order. It is true that discipline declined somewhat in the fifteenth century and the rule became relaxed, but Ludovicus II, a monk of St. Gall who was Abbot of Einsiedeln 1526-44, succeeded in restoring the stricter observance.
In the sixteenth century the religious disturbances caused by the spread of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in Switzerland were a source of trouble for some time. Zwingli himself was at Einsiedeln for a while, and used the opportunity for protesting against the famous pilgrimages, but the storm passed over and the abbey was left in peace. Abbot Augustine I (1600–29) was the leader of the movement which resulted in the erection of the Swiss Congregation
Swiss Congregation
The Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation is a grouping of Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland or with significant historical Swiss connections.-Foundation:...
of the Order of St. Benedict in 1602, and he also did much for the establishment of unrelaxed observance in the abbey and for the promotion of a high standard of scholarship and learning amongst his monks.
The pilgrimages, just mentioned, which have never ceased since the days of St Meinrad, have tended to make Einsiedeln the rival even of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Loreto
Loreto (AN)
Loreto is a hilltown and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is mostly famous as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.-Location:...
and Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
and constitute one of the features for which the abbey is chiefly celebrated. The pilgrims number from 150,000 to 200,000 annually, from all parts of Catholic Europe. The miraculous statue of Our Lady, originally set up by St Meinrad and later enthroned in the little chapel erected by Eberhard, is the object of their devotion. This chapel stands within the great abbey church, in much the same way as the Holy House at Loreto, encased in marbles and precious woodwork and elaborately decorated, though it has been so often restored, rebuilt and adorned with the offerings of pilgrims that it may be doubted whether much of the original sanctuary still remains.
September 14 and October 13 are the chief pilgrimage days, the former being the anniversary of the miraculous consecration of Eberhard's basilica and the latter that of the translation of St Meinrad's relics from Reichenau
Reichenau Island
Reichenau Island lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany, at approximately . It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838...
to Einsiedeln in 1039. The millenary of St Meinrad was kept there with great splendour in 1861. The great church has been many times rebuilt, the last time by Abbot Maurus between the years 1704 and 1719 and one of its chief treasures now is a magnificent corona presented by Napoleon III when he made a pilgrimage there in 1865. The library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, which dates from 946, contains nearly 50,000 volumes and many priceless manuscripts. The work of the monks is divided chiefly between prayer, the confessional and study. At pilgrimage times the number of confessions heard is very large.
In 2004 the community numbered 90 priests and 40 lay brother
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
s. Attached to the abbey are a seminary and a college for about 260 pupils who are taught by the monks who also direct six convents of nuns. In 1854 a colony was sent to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Einsiedeln to minister to the local German-speaking population. From St. Meinrad Archabbey
St. Meinrad Archabbey
Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana, USA, was founded by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 98 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world....
, St. Meinrad
St. Meinrad, Indiana
Saint Meinrad is an unincorporated community in Harrison Township, Spencer County, Indiana, along the Anderson River and just off Interstate 64. It is home to the St. Meinrad Archabbey. It is situated about 55 miles east of Evansville. Because of the archabbey, St...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, which was the first settlement, daughter-houses were founded and in 1881 these were formed into the Swiss-American Congregation, which in 2004 comprised 15 monasteries from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the north down to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, 10 of which were directly founded from Einsiedeln. In the fall of 1887, Abbey Einsiedeln sent eight novices and a friar to Subiaco, Arkansas
Subiaco, Arkansas
Subiaco is a town in Logan County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Subiaco in the Lazio region of Italy...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A monk, Gall D'Aujourd'hui (Fr. Gall), is considered to be the co-founder of Subiaco Abbey and Academy
Subiaco Abbey and Academy
Subiaco Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas River valley. Subiaco Abbey and its associated academy are major features of the town of Subiaco, Arkansas. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. It is named after...
. Martin (Stefan) Werlen, the 58th Abbot of Einsiedeln was elected in 2001.
School
One of the abbey's apostolates is a school (Gymnasium) for the seventh to twelfth grades which has existed in its present form since the 1840s or 50s. It is the continuation of a tradition of education that dates to the thirteenth century. Its distinguished alumni include Gall MorelGall Morel
Gall Morel O. S. B. was a poet, scholar, aesthete, and educationist, born at St. Gallen, Switzerland, on 24 March, 1803; died at the Abbey of Einsiedeln on 16 December, 1872. His baptismal name was Benedict, but in the monastery he took the name of Gall. In 1814, he entered the gymnasium at St. Gall...
, Franz Fassbind, Philipp Etter
Philipp Etter
Philipp Etter was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 28 March 1934 and handed over office on 31 December 1959...
, Hans Hürlimann
Hans Hürlimann
Hans Hürlimann was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council .He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 5 December 1973 and handed over office on 31 December 1982...
and his son Thomas Hürlimann
Thomas Hürlimann
Thomas Hürlimann is a Swiss playwright and novelist.His 1989 novel Das Gartenhaus was published as The Couple in the United States in 1991.-External links:*. Goethe-Instituts Website...
, Bruno Frick
Bruno Frick
Bruno Frick is Swiss politician of the Christian Democratic People's Party . Frick has been a member of the Swiss Council of States for the Canton of Schwyz since 1991. In 2005, he was president of the Council of States....
, Anatole Taubman
Anatole Taubman
Anatole Taubman is a Swiss actor, who has appeared in many films, such as a henchman in the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace and as the monk Remigius in the TV miniseries The Pillars of the Earth.-References:...
and Josef Ackermann.
Fahr Abbey
Living in separate cantons, Einsiedeln Abbey and Fahr AbbeyFahr Abbey
Fahr Abbey, is a Benedictine nunnery located in Würenlos in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. Situated in different cantons, Einsiedeln Abbey and the convent in Fahr are a double monastery, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln.- Geographical and administratively special situation :In fact, the...
are a double monastery
Double monastery
A double monastery is an institution combining a separate monastery for monks and an abbey for nuns. Examples include Coldingham Monastery in Scotland, and Einsiedeln Abbey and Fahr Abbey in Switzerland, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln...
, controlled by the abbot of Einsiedeln.
Trivia
- The abbey's library contains the Versus de scachisVersus de scachisVersus de scachis is a Medieval Latin poem about chess. It is found on two manuscripts from Einsiedeln: MS Einsidlensis 365 and MS Einsidlensis 309. A copy of the poem in manuscript 319 at Stiftsbibliothek Einsiedeln has been given the estimated date of 997 CE...
, the earliest mention of chess in Western literature.
See also
- Meinrad of EinsiedelnMeinrad of EinsiedelnSaint Meinrad was a hermit and a Roman Catholic saint.Meinrad was born into the family of the Counts of Hohenzollern and was educated at the abbey school of Reichenau, an island in Lake Constance, under his kinsmen Abbots Hatto and Erlebald. There he became a monk and was ordained...
- Gall MorelGall MorelGall Morel O. S. B. was a poet, scholar, aesthete, and educationist, born at St. Gallen, Switzerland, on 24 March, 1803; died at the Abbey of Einsiedeln on 16 December, 1872. His baptismal name was Benedict, but in the monastery he took the name of Gall. In 1814, he entered the gymnasium at St. Gall...
- Johann Michael Feuchtmayer the ElderJohann Michael Feuchtmayer the ElderJohann Michael Feuchtmayer was a German painter and copper engraver.He was born in Wessobrunn, into the famous Feuchtmayer family of Baroque artists associated with the Wessobrunner School....
, Franz Joseph FeuchtmayerFranz Joseph FeuchtmayerFranz Joseph Feuchtmayer was a member of the German Feuchtmayer family of Baroque artists of the Wessobrunner School.Feuchtmayer was born in Wessobrunn Abbey... - Martin Marty (bishop)Martin Marty (bishop)Bishop Martin Marty, O.S.B. was a Benedictine priest and missionary in America. He was the first Abbot of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, the first Vicar Apostolic of Dakota Territory, and the second Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud...
External links
- http://www.kloster-einsiedeln.ch