Lichtenthal Abbey
Encyclopedia
The Lichtenthal Abbey is a Cistercian nunnery in Lichtenthal in the town of Baden-Baden
, Germany
.
for re-burial. She seriously over-reached herself financially on the project, however, and was obliged to ask her family for help.
The imposing gateway, built in 1781, leads into a three-sided walled courtyard with a fountain to the Blessed Virgin Mary, surrounded by the various abbey and domestic buildings, the school, the abbey church, Prince's Chapel and a hermit's chapel.
The Gothic abbey church, of which the choir
dates from the 14th century and the nave
from the 15th, contains works of art and furnishings of many dates, particularly of the 15th century, as at this time, on the initiative of the Abbess Margaret of Baden, the church interior was lavishly refurbished and ornamented.
The Prince's Chapel was built in 1288, and until 1372 was the burial place of the Margraves of Baden. Here is also the tomb of the foundress, Margravine Irmengard. Besides the tombs, the high altar and several side altars, this chapel also contains the statue of the "Madonna of the Keys", so called because in times of danger the abbey keys are entrusted to her. (The abbey has until now survived every danger unscathed, as is related in a Baden-Baden drinking song).
The three statues over the gateway are from the nearby ruined All Saints' Abbey
and represent Saint Helena
, above, Abbot Gerung, first abbot of All Saints, to the left, and his mother and the foundress of All Saints, the Duchess Uta of Schauenburg, to the right, who was a relative of the Margravine Irmengard.
The hermit's chapel, built in 1678, is used as a mortuary chapel for the nuns.
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, 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 and buildings
It was founded in 1245 by Margravine Irmengard bei Rhein, widow of Margrave Hermann V of Baden, whose body she had brought here in 1248 from BacknangBacknang
Backnang is a town in Germany in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Stuttgart. Its population has increased greatly over the past century, from 7,650 in 1900 to 35,761 in 2005....
for re-burial. She seriously over-reached herself financially on the project, however, and was obliged to ask her family for help.
The imposing gateway, built in 1781, leads into a three-sided walled courtyard with a fountain to the Blessed Virgin Mary, surrounded by the various abbey and domestic buildings, the school, the abbey church, Prince's Chapel and a hermit's chapel.
The Gothic abbey church, of which the choir
Quire (architecture)
Architecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...
dates from the 14th century and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
from the 15th, contains works of art and furnishings of many dates, particularly of the 15th century, as at this time, on the initiative of the Abbess Margaret of Baden, the church interior was lavishly refurbished and ornamented.
The Prince's Chapel was built in 1288, and until 1372 was the burial place of the Margraves of Baden. Here is also the tomb of the foundress, Margravine Irmengard. Besides the tombs, the high altar and several side altars, this chapel also contains the statue of the "Madonna of the Keys", so called because in times of danger the abbey keys are entrusted to her. (The abbey has until now survived every danger unscathed, as is related in a Baden-Baden drinking song).
The three statues over the gateway are from the nearby ruined All Saints' Abbey
All Saints' Abbey (Baden-Württemberg)
All Saints' Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastery near Oppenau in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:...
and represent Saint Helena
Helena of Constantinople
Saint Helena also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople was the consort of Emperor Constantius, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I...
, above, Abbot Gerung, first abbot of All Saints, to the left, and his mother and the foundress of All Saints, the Duchess Uta of Schauenburg, to the right, who was a relative of the Margravine Irmengard.
The hermit's chapel, built in 1678, is used as a mortuary chapel for the nuns.