Oberschönenfeld Abbey
Encyclopedia
Oberschönenfeld Abbey is a Cistercian nunnery in Gessertshausen
in Bavaria
, Germany
.
; its founders were the local nobleman Volkmar von Kemnat and Hartmann von Dillingen, Bishop of Augsburg
, of the family of the Counts of Dillingen
.
Between 1718 and 1721 the monastic buildings were reconstructed in their present Baroque
form by the master builder Franz Beer
, as was the church later.
Until 1803 the abbey was reichsunmittelbar and exercised territorial lordship over the villages of Gessertshausen and Altenmünster.
In 1803 the abbey was dissolved in the course of the secularisation
of Bavaria. The nuns were not expelled, however, and the nunnery was reopened in 1836 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria
as a priory
, which was made an abbey again in 1918.
In 1951 the first missionaries were sent to Brazil
, where in 1963 they founded their own monastery in Itararé
in the state of Sao Paulo
.
Here are also the nature reserve house of the Augsburg-Western Woods Nature Reserve
(Naturpark Augsburg-Westliche Wälder) and the Swabian Gallery (for revolving exhibitions).
Gessertshausen
Gessertshausen is a municipality in the district of Augsburg in Bavaria in Germany....
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, 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
As early as around 1186 there were Beguines, or a similar community of women, on this site. In about 1211 they formed a more structured community which by 1248, when the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, had been formally constituted as a Cistercian nunnery, accounted a daughter house of Kaisheim AbbeyKaisheim Abbey
Kaisheim Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Kaisheim, Bavaria, Germany.- History :It was founded by Henry II, Count of Lechsgemünd and his wife Liutgard, and was a daughter house of Lucelle Abbey in Alsace. Count Henry's initial gift of the land was made in 1133; the foundation charter was dated...
; its founders were the local nobleman Volkmar von Kemnat and Hartmann von Dillingen, Bishop of Augsburg
Bishop of Augsburg
The Bishop of Augsburg is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Augsburg in the Ecclesiastical province of München und Freising.The diocese covers an area of 13,250 km².The current bishop is Konrad Zdarsa who was appointed in 2010....
, of the family of the Counts of Dillingen
Dillingen (district)
Dillingen is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Donau-Ries, Augsburg and Günzburg, and by the state of Baden-Württemberg .-History:...
.
Between 1718 and 1721 the monastic buildings were reconstructed in their present Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
form by the master builder Franz Beer
Franz Beer
Franz Beer , also known as Franz Beer von Blaichten, was an Austrian architect during the Baroque period, mainly working on church buildings at monasteries in southern Germany, chiefly in Upper Swabia, and Switzerland. His son Johann Michael Beer also was an architect.Born in Au im Bregenzerwald in...
, as was the church later.
Until 1803 the abbey was reichsunmittelbar and exercised territorial lordship over the villages of Gessertshausen and Altenmünster.
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
of Bavaria. The nuns were not expelled, however, and the nunnery was reopened in 1836 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
as a priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
, which was made an abbey again in 1918.
In 1951 the first missionaries were sent to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where in 1963 they founded their own monastery in Itararé
Itararé
Itararé is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 48,973 and the area is 1005.8 km². The elevation is 740 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language....
in the state of Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
.
Museums
In the stables, unused since 1972, the Bezirk Schwaben established the Swabian Folklore and Crafts Museum (Schwäbische Volkskundemuseum) in 1984.Here are also the nature reserve house of the Augsburg-Western Woods Nature Reserve
Augsburg-Westliche Wälder Nature Park
The Augsburg-Western Woods Nature Park is one of the two nature parks in Bavarian Swabia. The 1988 founded park has a size of 1175 km².The nature park is bordered by the rivers Danube, Wertach, Schmutter, Flossach and Mindel...
(Naturpark Augsburg-Westliche Wälder) and the Swabian Gallery (for revolving exhibitions).