Erlach Abbey
Encyclopedia
Erlach Abbey, also known as St. Johannsen Abbey (Kloster Erlach, otherwise Abtei St. Johannsen), was a Benedictine monastery in Gals
, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
.
It was founded between 1093 and 1103 by Kuno, Count of Fenis and Bishop of Lausanne
, on an island in the Zihl. the foundation was completed after his death by his brother, Burchard, bishop of Basle
. The new monastery was settled by monks from St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest
. The Vogtei
, initially the property of the Counts of Fenis, passed from them to the Counts of Neuenburg-Nidau, and from them at the end of the 14th century to the city of Berne
, which in 1474-76 also acquired the lordship of Erlach.
The abbey was secularised in 1528-29. The nave of the abbey church was demolished, but the choir and transept remained, and was used as a grain store. These structures were also demolished in 1961 after they had become unsafe, but the quire was rebuilt in 1970-71. The conventual buildings remained standing, and in the 19th century were put to various industrial uses, until in 1883 the local government authority of Bern bought the site back and turned it into a prison. It continues in use as a detention centre for male adults.
Gals
Gals is a municipality in the Seeland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Gals has an area, , of . Of this area, or 53.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 34.0% is forested...
, Canton of Bern, 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....
.
It was founded between 1093 and 1103 by Kuno, Count of Fenis and Bishop of Lausanne
Bishop of Lausanne
The Bishop of Lausanne was a Prince-Bishop of the Holy Roman Empire and the Ordinary of the diocese of Lausanne, Switzerland .Bern secularized the bishopric in 1536....
, on an island in the Zihl. the foundation was completed after his death by his brother, Burchard, bishop of Basle
Burchard of Basle
Burchard of Basle, also known as Burchard of Hasenburg or of Asuel, was a Bishop of Basle in the eleventh century and a warm partisan of Henry IV .-Biography:...
. The new monastery was settled by monks from St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest
St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest
Sankt Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest was a Benedictine monastery in the village of St. Blasien in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- 9th–12th centuries :The early history of the abbey is obscure...
. The Vogtei
Vogtei
Vogtei could be:* The residenz or domain of a Vogt* Vogtei , a municipal association in the Unstrut-Hainich district of Thuringia, Germany....
, initially the property of the Counts of Fenis, passed from them to the Counts of Neuenburg-Nidau, and from them at the end of the 14th century to the city of Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, which in 1474-76 also acquired the lordship of Erlach.
The abbey was secularised in 1528-29. The nave of the abbey church was demolished, but the choir and transept remained, and was used as a grain store. These structures were also demolished in 1961 after they had become unsafe, but the quire was rebuilt in 1970-71. The conventual buildings remained standing, and in the 19th century were put to various industrial uses, until in 1883 the local government authority of Bern bought the site back and turned it into a prison. It continues in use as a detention centre for male adults.