Marienau Charterhouse
Encyclopedia
Marienau Charterhouse is a Carthusian
monastery, or charterhouse, the successor to the Maria Hain Charterhouse in Düsseldorf
, located since 1964 near Bad Wurzach
, district of Ravensburg
in Baden-Württemberg
. It is the only extant Carthusian monastery in Germany
.
-Unterrath was established under the name of Kartause Maria Hain (Maria Hain Charterhouse) as a Carthusian monastery in 1869, where despite the threats of the Kulturkampf
in the 1880s and of World War II
, it survived until 1964, when the site was required for the expansion of Düsseldorf Airport and the monks were forced to leave.
It was built between 1962 and 1964 to designs by the architects Emil Steffann and Gisberth M. Hülsmann.
Marienau is a "double charterhouse", that is, it has hermitages for 24 monks, rather than the usual 12. The buildings, as specifically required by the Carthusian order through Pater Marianus Marck, fall into five clearly defined areas:
The buildings round the great cloister are single-storied, while the remainder are two-storied. All are of simple brick construction with ceilings of wooden beams and red tiled roofs. The outside walls are painted yellow. The perimeter wall encloses the entire precinct, with a height of some 2.5 metres and a total length of about 1.2 kilometres, with three gates.
At the centre point of the enclosed area, amounting to about 10 hectares, is the simple church. Enclosed within the monastery complex is the graveyard. Carthusians are traditionally buried in their robes without a coffin, on a board; the only monument is a simple wooden cross without a name. The graveyard also contains a large wooden cross under which are buried the bones of the dead from Maria Hain, which were moved to the new charterhouse in 1964 with the rest of the community.
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
monastery, or charterhouse, the successor to the Maria Hain Charterhouse in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, located since 1964 near Bad Wurzach
Bad Wurzach
Bad Wurzach is a small town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a well known health-resort destination, and home to the oldest moor-spa in Baden-Württemberg, as well as one of the biggest connected high-moor areas in Europe. It is situated 25 km northeast of...
, district of Ravensburg
Ravensburg (district)
Ravensburg is a district in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bodensee, Sigmaringen and Biberach, the Bavarian urban district Memmingen and the districts Unterallgäu, Oberallgäu and Lindau.-History:The district dates back to the Oberamt Ravensburg, which was...
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...
. It is the only extant Carthusian monastery 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...
.
Maria Hain
The former Schloss Hain in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
-Unterrath was established under the name of Kartause Maria Hain (Maria Hain Charterhouse) as a Carthusian monastery in 1869, where despite the threats of the Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
in the 1880s and of 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...
, it survived until 1964, when the site was required for the expansion of Düsseldorf Airport and the monks were forced to leave.
Marienau
Marienau Charterhouse was established in 1964 in Talacker near Bad Wurzach, Baden-Württemberg, as a replacement for Maria Hain. Its secluded woodland location acts to keep it apart from the world, and the monastery is not open to general visitors.It was built between 1962 and 1964 to designs by the architects Emil Steffann and Gisberth M. Hülsmann.
Marienau is a "double charterhouse", that is, it has hermitages for 24 monks, rather than the usual 12. The buildings, as specifically required by the Carthusian order through Pater Marianus Marck, fall into five clearly defined areas:
- The central "small" cloister
- The "great" cloister
- The brothers' building
- The workshops and farmhouse
- The gatehouse and guesthouse
The buildings round the great cloister are single-storied, while the remainder are two-storied. All are of simple brick construction with ceilings of wooden beams and red tiled roofs. The outside walls are painted yellow. The perimeter wall encloses the entire precinct, with a height of some 2.5 metres and a total length of about 1.2 kilometres, with three gates.
At the centre point of the enclosed area, amounting to about 10 hectares, is the simple church. Enclosed within the monastery complex is the graveyard. Carthusians are traditionally buried in their robes without a coffin, on a board; the only monument is a simple wooden cross without a name. The graveyard also contains a large wooden cross under which are buried the bones of the dead from Maria Hain, which were moved to the new charterhouse in 1964 with the rest of the community.