Honcourt Abbey
Encyclopedia
Honcourt Abbey or Hugshofen Abbey (German: Kloster Hugshofen) (Hugonis Curia in Latin
) was a Benedictine abbey located near the village of Saint-Martin, Bas-Rhin
, founded in the year 1000 and dissolved in or very shortly after 1525.
The abbey was sited next to the Klosterwald ("monastery wood") in the village of Saint-Martin and was founded in 1000, in the reign of Emperor Otto III
, by Count Werner of Ortenbourg, a descendant of the former ruling family of Alsace
, the Etichonids, and of the family of the Eberhard
ines.
According to the 17th century history of Jean Ruyr, the monastery was built on the site of an earlier structure, a small castle or hunting lodge belonging to the eponymous Hugh or Hugo.
Werner and Hugo, who seem in fact to have been co-founders of the monastery, were brothers, sons of Albrecht, and both were buried in the abbey.
The abbey was endowed with estates throughout the Villé valley, particularly in Dieffenthal
. Theoger, abbot of St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest
from 1088 to 1119, introduced the Hirsau Reform, and this spiritual revival brought Honcourt a period of success.
In 1473–74 the abbey was occupied and sacked by the Burgundian
troops of Charles the Bold, who entered the valley on 20 December 1473, occupied Villé
and systematically ravaged the whole surrounding area.
In April 1525, during the Peasants' Revolt
, the conventual buildings were sacked and burnt, destroying most of the abbey's contents, including the great majority of the library and archives. Those few documents that were saved, were incorporated into the archives of Andlau Abbey, all of which were destroyed during the French Revolution
.
While the peasants were sacking the abbey, a particularly valuable retable
, which seems certainly to have been a work of the sculptor Sixtus Schultheiss (d. 1527), was somehow transferred to the church of Villé, where Volcyr de Serouville, secretary to Antoine, Duke of Lorraine
, took an interest in it. It was subsequently carried off by the Lotharingians along with a number of other sacred items rescued from the peasants, and its subsequent fate is unknown.
Shortly after the abbey was sacked and burnt, the monks dispersed. The last abbot, Paul Voltz, converted to Protestantism
and took part in the Strasbourg
reform.
In 1599 the remains of the abbey premises were sold by the Archdukes of Austria to Andlau Abbey
. The transfer was confirmed by Pope Paul V
in 1616. In 1782 the abbess of Andlau ordered the demolition of Honcourt, as its upkeep had become too expensive, and nothing now remains. The consequent architectural loss to the region was great, as the buildings were of high interest. Honcourt was a strategic point in the line of entry of Romanesque
and Burgundian art into Alsace, between the churches of Saint-Dié and St. Faith of Sélestat
.
, adjoining a rectangular choir. The church too was demolished by the order of the abbess of Andlau in 1782. In its circular form, a great rarity, the abbey church strongly resembled the church of Ottmarsheim
near Kembs
, an outstanding example of primitive Romanesque architecture
and a faithful replica, only smaller, of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen
.
In 1516, the Emperor Maximilian I, while passing through Alsace, wished to satify his curiosity about the truth of the legend of the gigantic stature of Hugo of Reichenberg, and ordered the tomb to be opened. A femur
was removed, from which it was proposed to calculate the overall length of the body on the ancient principle ex pede Herculem
, basing the calculation on the assumption that a femur represents 1/8 of a man's overall height. The femur measured 0.3248 metres (just over 1 foot), which when multiplied by 8 gave an extraodinary height of 2 metres and 59 centimetres, or 8½ feet, for the late Hugo. The diagram of the findings and calculations was preserved for many years at Sainte-Foy Priory
in Sélestat
. (Another curious discovery was that the bones of the co-founders Werner and Hugo were jumbled together).
In July 1986 three fragments of an inscribed pink stone slab were discovered at Saint-Martin. The date 1359 was decipherable, which may have been the actual date of death of Hugo (of which more is not known than that it occurred in about 1361). There are also arms which resemble those of the Reichenbergs. It is thus very possible that these are the remains of the tombstone of Hugo of Reichenberg.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) was a Benedictine abbey located near the village of Saint-Martin, Bas-Rhin
Saint-Martin, Bas-Rhin
Saint-Martin is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
, founded in the year 1000 and dissolved in or very shortly after 1525.
History
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto III , a King of Germany, was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. He was elected King in 983 on the death of his father Otto II and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 996.-Early reign:...
, by Count Werner of Ortenbourg, a descendant of the former ruling family of Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, the Etichonids, and of the family of the Eberhard
Eberhard
Eberhard or Everard or Everardo is an old Germanic name meaning the strength or courage of a wild boar.-First name:*Eberhard of Friuli , Duke and key figure in the Carolingian Empire*Eberhard of Béthune , Flemish grammarian....
ines.
According to the 17th century history of Jean Ruyr, the monastery was built on the site of an earlier structure, a small castle or hunting lodge belonging to the eponymous Hugh or Hugo.
Werner and Hugo, who seem in fact to have been co-founders of the monastery, were brothers, sons of Albrecht, and both were buried in the abbey.
The abbey was endowed with estates throughout the Villé valley, particularly in Dieffenthal
Dieffenthal
Dieffenthal is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
. Theoger, abbot of St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest
St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest
St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest was a Benedictine monastery in St. Georgen im Schwarzwald in the southern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Foundation to Reformation:...
from 1088 to 1119, introduced the Hirsau Reform, and this spiritual revival brought Honcourt a period of success.
In 1473–74 the abbey was occupied and sacked by the Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
troops of Charles the Bold, who entered the valley on 20 December 1473, occupied Villé
Villé
Villé is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
and systematically ravaged the whole surrounding area.
In April 1525, during the Peasants' Revolt
Peasants' Revolt
The Peasants' Revolt, Wat Tyler's Rebellion, or the Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England. Tyler's Rebellion was not only the most extreme and widespread insurrection in English history but also the...
, the conventual buildings were sacked and burnt, destroying most of the abbey's contents, including the great majority of the library and archives. Those few documents that were saved, were incorporated into the archives of Andlau Abbey, all of which were destroyed during 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...
.
While the peasants were sacking the abbey, a particularly valuable retable
Retable
A retable is a framed altarpiece, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion table, on which are placed the cross, ceremonial candlesticks and other ornaments....
, which seems certainly to have been a work of the sculptor Sixtus Schultheiss (d. 1527), was somehow transferred to the church of Villé, where Volcyr de Serouville, secretary to Antoine, Duke of Lorraine
Antoine, Duke of Lorraine
Antoine , known as the Good, was Duke of Lorraine from 1508 until his death in 1544.-Biography:Antoine was born at Bar-le-Duc, the son of René II, Duke of Lorraine and Philippa of Guelders...
, took an interest in it. It was subsequently carried off by the Lotharingians along with a number of other sacred items rescued from the peasants, and its subsequent fate is unknown.
Shortly after the abbey was sacked and burnt, the monks dispersed. The last abbot, Paul Voltz, converted to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and took part in the Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
reform.
In 1599 the remains of the abbey premises were sold by the Archdukes of Austria to Andlau Abbey
Andlau Abbey
Andlau Abbey was a women's collegiate foundation for secular canonesses located at Andlau in Alsace, eastern France.-History:...
. The transfer was confirmed by Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
in 1616. In 1782 the abbess of Andlau ordered the demolition of Honcourt, as its upkeep had become too expensive, and nothing now remains. The consequent architectural loss to the region was great, as the buildings were of high interest. Honcourt was a strategic point in the line of entry of Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
and Burgundian art into Alsace, between the churches of Saint-Dié and St. Faith of Sélestat
St. Faith's Church, Sélestat
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Faith of Sélestat is a major Romanesque architecture landmark along the Route Romane d'Alsace in the East of France...
.
The abbey church
Construction of the abbey church began in 1186 and was finished a century later under abbot Conrad III in 1286. The church was an exceptional structure, circular, like the rotunda of Senones AbbeySenones Abbey
Senones Abbey was a Benedictine abbey located in the valley of the Rabodeau, in the present village of Senones in Lorraine, France.-History:...
, adjoining a rectangular choir. The church too was demolished by the order of the abbess of Andlau in 1782. In its circular form, a great rarity, the abbey church strongly resembled the church of Ottmarsheim
Ottmarsheim
Ottmarsheim is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
near Kembs
Kembs
Kembs is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
, an outstanding example of primitive Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and a faithful replica, only smaller, of the Palatine Chapel in Aachen
Palatine Chapel in Aachen
The Palatine Chapel is an Early Medieval chapel that is the remaining component of Charlemagne's Palace of Aachen. Although the palace no longer exists, the chapel has been incorporated into the Aachen Cathedral, Germany. It is the city's major landmark and the central monument of the Carolingian...
.
Tradition of the founders
Both Werner and Hugo were, according to tradition, extraodinarily large men, and both were buried in the abbey. Their last descendant, Hugo, Count of Reichenberg (d. about 1361), also legendary for his exceptional height, was also buried here.In 1516, the Emperor Maximilian I, while passing through Alsace, wished to satify his curiosity about the truth of the legend of the gigantic stature of Hugo of Reichenberg, and ordered the tomb to be opened. A femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
was removed, from which it was proposed to calculate the overall length of the body on the ancient principle ex pede Herculem
Ex pede Herculem
Ex pede Herculem, "from his foot, [we can measure] Hercules", is a maxim of proportionality inspired by an experiment attributed to Pythagoras. According to Aulus Gellius' Noctes Atticae:...
, basing the calculation on the assumption that a femur represents 1/8 of a man's overall height. The femur measured 0.3248 metres (just over 1 foot), which when multiplied by 8 gave an extraodinary height of 2 metres and 59 centimetres, or 8½ feet, for the late Hugo. The diagram of the findings and calculations was preserved for many years at Sainte-Foy Priory
St. Faith's Church, Sélestat
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Faith of Sélestat is a major Romanesque architecture landmark along the Route Romane d'Alsace in the East of France...
in Sélestat
Sélestat
Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In 2006, Sélestat had a total population of 19,459. The Communauté de communes de Sélestat et environs had a total population of 35,397.-Geography:...
. (Another curious discovery was that the bones of the co-founders Werner and Hugo were jumbled together).
In July 1986 three fragments of an inscribed pink stone slab were discovered at Saint-Martin. The date 1359 was decipherable, which may have been the actual date of death of Hugo (of which more is not known than that it occurred in about 1361). There are also arms which resemble those of the Reichenbergs. It is thus very possible that these are the remains of the tombstone of Hugo of Reichenberg.