Reichsabt
Encyclopedia
Imperial abbeys were religious houses within the Holy Roman Empire
which for some period during their existence had the status of Reichsunmittelbarkeit ("imperial immediacy"): that is, such houses were answerable directly to the Emperor
and were thus sovereign territories (however small), independent of other lordships. This status brought with it numerous other political and financial advantages, such as immunity from the authority of the local bishop, rights to demand various taxes and duties and to levy justice.
The head of an Imperial abbey was generally an Imperial abbot (Reichsabt) or Imperial abbess (Reichsäbtissin). (The head of a Reichspropstei — an Imperial provostry or priory — was generally a Reichspropst). Some of the greatest establishments had the rank of ecclesiastical principalities, and were headed by a Prince-Abbot or a Prince-Provost (Fürstabt, Fürstpropst), with status comparable to that of Prince-Bishop
s. Most however (and many of these religious houses had only very small territories) were Imperial prelates (Reichsprelaten) and as such participated in a single collective vote in the Reichstag
as members of the Bench of Prelates, later (1575) divided into the Swabian College of Imperial Prelates and the Rhenish College of Imperial Prelates.
It was not uncommon for heads of religious houses other than the Imperial abbeys to have similar titles even though their establishments did not have Reichsunmittelbarkeit. To take three examples, the Prince-Bishop of St. Gall
retained his title until the abbey was secularised in 1798, even though it had ceased to be an Imperial abbey in 1648; the abbot of Muri
(which had a strong Habsburg
connection) was created an Imperial prince in 1710, although by that time Muri was in Switzerland; and the Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's Abbey
in Baden-Württemberg held that title, not on account of the status of the abbey, which was not reichsunmmittelbar, but because it was conferred on him by the abbey's ownership of the County of Bonndorf
.
, including those whose votes were collective rather than individual. Three of these lists survive and are accessible, from 1521, 1755 (or thereabouts) and 1792.
This list includes the Principalities, Imperial abbeys (Reichsabteien and -klöster), Imperial colleges (Reichsstifte), Imperial provostries or priories (Reichspropsteien) and the single Imperial charterhouse (Reichskartause).
The word "Stift", meaning a collegiate foundation or canonry, possibly belonging to a variety of different orders or to none at all, and either with or without rules and vows, for either men ("Herrenstift") or for women ("Frauenstift"), has been left untranslated, except when it specifically refers to the chapter
of a church.
Some of the imperial abbeys were dissolved during the Reformation
; others were absorbed into other territories at various times in the general course of political life. Those in Alsace
and Switzerland
passed out of the Empire in 1648, when Alsace was ceded to France and Switzerland became independent. The great majority of these religious bodies however were secularised during the brief period that included the French Revolution
, the Napoleonic Wars
and their aftermath, especially as a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of February 1803. Any that survived, lost their Imperial titles when the Holy Roman Empire was wound up in 1806.
Inclusion in the 1521 Reichsmatrikel is not by itself conclusive evidence that a particular religious house was in fact an Imperial abbey, and the status of the following abbey listed in the Matrikel is questionable in the absence of further confirmation from other sources:
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
which for some period during their existence had the status of Reichsunmittelbarkeit ("imperial immediacy"): that is, such houses were answerable directly to the Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
and were thus sovereign territories (however small), independent of other lordships. This status brought with it numerous other political and financial advantages, such as immunity from the authority of the local bishop, rights to demand various taxes and duties and to levy justice.
The head of an Imperial abbey was generally an Imperial abbot (Reichsabt) or Imperial abbess (Reichsäbtissin). (The head of a Reichspropstei — an Imperial provostry or priory — was generally a Reichspropst). Some of the greatest establishments had the rank of ecclesiastical principalities, and were headed by a Prince-Abbot or a Prince-Provost (Fürstabt, Fürstpropst), with status comparable to that of Prince-Bishop
Prince-Bishop
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
s. Most however (and many of these religious houses had only very small territories) were Imperial prelates (Reichsprelaten) and as such participated in a single collective vote in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
as members of the Bench of Prelates, later (1575) divided into the Swabian College of Imperial Prelates and the Rhenish College of Imperial Prelates.
It was not uncommon for heads of religious houses other than the Imperial abbeys to have similar titles even though their establishments did not have Reichsunmittelbarkeit. To take three examples, the Prince-Bishop of St. Gall
Abbey of St. Gall
The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was...
retained his title until the abbey was secularised in 1798, even though it had ceased to be an Imperial abbey in 1648; the abbot of Muri
Muri Abbey
Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland...
(which had a strong Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
connection) was created an Imperial prince in 1710, although by that time Muri was in Switzerland; and the Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's Abbey
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...
in Baden-Württemberg held that title, not on account of the status of the abbey, which was not reichsunmmittelbar, but because it was conferred on him by the abbey's ownership of the County of Bonndorf
Bonndorf
Bonndorf is a town in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the southern Black Forest, 14 km southeast of Titisee-Neustadt. It comprises the villages Boll, Brunnadern, Dillendorf, Ebnet, Gündelwangen, Holzschlag, Wellendingen and Wittlekofen. The town is...
.
List A: Imperial abbeys named in the Matrikel
The religious houses listed here as List A are those named in the Matrikel, or lists of those eligible to vote in the ReichstagReichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
, including those whose votes were collective rather than individual. Three of these lists survive and are accessible, from 1521, 1755 (or thereabouts) and 1792.
This list includes the Principalities, Imperial abbeys (Reichsabteien and -klöster), Imperial colleges (Reichsstifte), Imperial provostries or priories (Reichspropsteien) and the single Imperial charterhouse (Reichskartause).
The word "Stift", meaning a collegiate foundation or canonry, possibly belonging to a variety of different orders or to none at all, and either with or without rules and vows, for either men ("Herrenstift") or for women ("Frauenstift"), has been left untranslated, except when it specifically refers to the chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of a church.
Some of the imperial abbeys were dissolved during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
; others were absorbed into other territories at various times in the general course of political life. Those in 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...
and 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....
passed out of the Empire in 1648, when Alsace was ceded to France and Switzerland became independent. The great majority of these religious bodies however were secularised during the brief period that included 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...
, the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and their aftermath, especially as a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of February 1803. Any that survived, lost their Imperial titles when the Holy Roman Empire was wound up in 1806.
Abbreviations
- Description and Imperial status column:
- RA stands for Reichsabtei (Imperial abbey)
- RF stands for "Reichsfürstentum" (Imperial Principality)
- RP stands for "Reichspropstei" (Imperial provostry)
- Lost imm. column:
- imm. Imperial immediacy
- Sec. secularised
- Med. mediatised
- Switz. Switzerland
- Hel. Helvetic Republic
- College column:
- RC stands for "Rhenish College"
- SC stands for "Swabian College"
- RF stands for "Reichsfürst", i.e., the head of the house in question had an individual vote; there were nine of these (Fulda, Kempten, Ellwangen, Murbach-Lüders, Berchtesgaden, Weissenburg, Prüm, Stablo-Malmedy and Corvey).
| CoA Coat of arms A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth... |
Religious house | Location | Founded | Imm. | Lost imm. | To... | Description and status | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Baindt Abbey Baindt Abbey Baindt Abbey was a Cistercian nunnery in Baindt in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Cistercians:The abbey was founded in 1240 by Konrad of Winterstetten. It was granted imperial immediacy in 1376, although it was subordinate to Salem Abbey.The abbey was destroyed in 1525... |
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... |
1,240 | 1,376 | 1,802 Sec. | Cistercian nunnery; reichsunmittelbar but remained subordinate to Salem Abbey Salem Abbey Salem Abbey , also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Abbey:The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute Salem Abbey (Kloster or... . RA |
SC | |
| Berchtesgaden Provostry Berchtesgaden Provostry Berchtesgaden Provostry or the Prince-Provostry of Berchtesgaden was an immediate principality of the Holy Roman Empire, held by a canonry, i.e... |
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... |
1,102 | 1,194 | 1,803 Sec. | Augustinian Canons. Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). RF from 1380 or 1559 | RF | ||
| |
Buchau Abbey Buchau Abbey Buchau Abbey or the Imperial Abbey of Buchau was a nunnery, and later collegiate foundation, in the present town of Bad Buchau in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.... |
Baden-Württemberg | 700 | 1,347 | 1,803 Sec. | Frauenstift. RA. RF | RC | |
| Burtscheid Abbey Burtscheid Abbey Burtscheid Abbey was a house of the Benedictine Order, after 1220 a Cistercian nunnery, located at Burtscheid, near Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany.... |
North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen Aachen Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ... ) |
997 | 1,220/21 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery; from 1220/21 Cistercian nunnery. RF | RC | ||
| Buxheim Charterhouse | Bavaria | 1,100 | 1,548 | 1,802/03 Sec. | Canons; Carthusians from 1402 (the only Reichskartause). RP | SC and RC | ||
| |
Comburg Comburg Comburg was a Benedictine monastery near Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.It was founded in the late 1070s by the Counts of Comburg-Rothenburg on the site of their castle. They retained the office of Vogt, which continued until their extinction in the Staufer dynasty... |
Baden-Württemberg (Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg.... ) |
1,070s | 1,399 before 15th c. | 1,587 Med. | Benedictine monastery, later Herrenstift. Mediatised by Württemberg 1587; secularised 1803. RA | SC | |
| Corvey Abbey Corvey Abbey The Imperial Abbey of Corvey was a Benedictine monastery on the River Weser, 2 km northeast of Höxter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.... |
North Rhine-Westphalia (Höxter Höxter Höxter is the seat of the Höxter district, and a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands... ) |
820 | 1,150 | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA; RF no later than 1582 | RF | ||
 |
Disentis Abbey Disentis Abbey Disentis Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the Canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland, around which the present town of Disentis grew up.-Foundation to 19th century:... |
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.... |
720 | 725early 8th c. | 1,798 Hel. | Benedictine monastery; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA | SC | |
 |
Echternach Abbey | Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... |
700 | 751 | 1,794 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. Mediatised by Austria sometime after 1521 RA | ||
| Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated... |
Switzerland | 934 | 965 | 1,648 Switz. | Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA | |||
| |
Elchingen Abbey Elchingen Abbey Elchingen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Oberelchingen in Bavaria, Germany, in the diocese of Augsburg.- History :Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saints Peter and Paul, the monastery was founded by the Counts of Dillingen... |
Bavaria | 1,128 | 1,128 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
 |
Ellwangen Abbey Ellwangen Abbey Ellwangen Abbey was the earliest Benedictine monastery established in the Duchy of Swabia, at the present-day town of Ellwangen an der Jagst, Baden-Württemberg about 100 km north-east of Stuttgart.-Imperial abbey:... |
Baden-Württemberg | 764 | 1,011? | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery; Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). Possibly founded as early as 732. RF | RF | |
| Essen Abbey Essen Abbey Essen Abbey was a collegiate foundation for women of the high nobility in Essen. It was founded in about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid , later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, near a royal estate called Astnidhi, which later gave its name to the religious house and to the town... |
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the... |
845 | 900 betw. 874 and 947 | 1,803 Sec. | Frauenstift. RA | RC | ||
| |
Frauenchiemsee Frauenchiemsee The island Frauenchiemsee is the second largest of the three islands in Chiemsee, Germany. It belongs to the municipality of Chiemsee in Upper Bavarian district of Rosenheim, which is the smallest municipality in all of Bavaria. The large and car free Fraueninsel houses 300 permanent residents as... Abbey (aka Frauenwörth) |
Bavaria | 782 | 782? | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| |
Fraumünster Fraumünster The Fraumünster abbey in Zurich was founded in 853 by Louis the German for his daughter Hildegard. He endowed the Benedictine convent with the lands of Zurich, Uri, and the Albis forest, and granted the convent immunity, placing it under his direct authority.- History :In 1045, King Henry III... Abbey |
Switzerland (Zürich Zürich Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... ) |
853 | 1,218 | 1,524 Sec. | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| |
Fürstenfeld Abbey Fürstenfeld Abbey Fürstenfeld Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, Germany.It is situated about 25 km north-west of Munich. The abbey was one of the household monasteries of the Wittelsbachs... |
Bavaria (Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base.... ) |
1,258 | Uncertain | 1,803 Sec. | Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Fulda Abbey Fulda monastery The monastery of Fulda was a Benedictine abbey in Fulda, in the present-day German state of Hesse. It was founded in 12 March, 744 by Saint Sturm, a disciple of Saint Boniface, and became an eminent center of learning with a renowned scriptorium, and the predecessor of the Fulda... |
Hesse Hesse Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state... |
744 | 765 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RF | RF | ||
| Gandersheim Abbey Gandersheim Abbey Gandersheim Abbey is a former house of secular canonesses in the present town of Bad Gandersheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was founded in 852 by Duke Liudolf of Saxony, progenitor of the Liudolfing or Ottonian dynasty, whose rich endowments ensured its stability and prosperity.The "Imperial... |
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany... |
852 | 1,810 Sec. | Frauenstift. The abbey asserted Reichsunmittelbarkeit but owned no reichsunmittelbar estates, and was claimed until 1709 by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806... . RA |
RC | |||
| |
Gengenbach Abbey Gengenbach Abbey Gengenbach Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gengenbach in the district of Ortenau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:It was founded by Saint Pirmin sometime after his expulsion from Reichenau in 727 and settled by monks from Gorze Abbey. It enjoyed good relations with the Carolingian... |
Baden-Württemberg | 727–35 | 899 9th c. | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| |
Gernrode Gernrode Gernrode is a town and a former municipality in Germany, in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt. The town was first mentioned in 961 and became a city in 1539. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Quedlinburg... Abbey |
Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of... |
959 | 964 | 1,728 Med. | Frauenstift. De facto De facto De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or... sovereignty lost to Anhalt in 1570. RA |
RC | |
| |
Göss Abbey Göss Abbey Göss Abbey is a former Benedictine nunnery in Göss, now a part of Leoben in Styria, Austria. After the abbey's dissolution in 1782 the church, now a parish church, was the seat of the short-lived Bishopric of Leoben.-History:... |
Austria (Leoben Leoben Leoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining... ) |
1,004 | 1,020 | 1,782 Sec. | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| Gutenzell Abbey Gutenzell Abbey Gutenzell Abbey was a Cistercian nunnery in the municipality of Gutenzell-Hürbel in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The origins of the monastery are unknown... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,237 | 1,417 | 1,803 Sec. | Cistercian nunnery. RA | SC | ||
| |
Heggbach Abbey Heggbach Abbey Heggbach Abbey was a Cistercian nunnery in Heggbach, now part of the municipality of Maselheim in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :... |
Baden-Württemberg (Maselheim Maselheim Maselheim is a town in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.... ) |
1,231 | 1,429 | 1,803 Sec. | Beguines; Cistercian nunnery from 1248. RA | SC | |
| |
Helmarshausen Abbey Helmarshausen Abbey Helmarshausen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery situated in the small town of Helmarshausen, now part of Bad Karlshafen in Hesse, Germany.-History:... |
Hesse (Bad Karlshafen Bad Karlshafen Bad Karlshafen is a baroque, thermal salt spa town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It has 2300 inhabitants in the main ward of Bad Karlshafen, and a further 1900 in the medieval ward of Helmarshausen... ) |
997 | 997 | 1,538 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
 |
Herford Abbey Herford Abbey Herford Abbey was the oldest women's religious house in the Duchy of Saxony. It was founded as a house of secular canonesses in 789, initially in Müdehorst by a nobleman called Waltger, who moved it in about 800 onto the lands of his estate Herivurth which stood at the crossing of a number of... |
North Rhine-Westphalia | 832 | 1,147 | 1,802 Sec. | Frauenstift. Lutheran Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation... from 1533. RA |
RC | |
| Herrenalb Abbey Herrenalb Abbey Herrenalb Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the present Bad Herrenalb in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :The monastery was founded, probably in 1147 or 1148, by Count Berthold of Eberstein as a family monastery, although the foundation charter only survives in a corrupt copy of 1270... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,147/48 | 1,275 | 1,497 Med. | Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | ||
| Hersfeld Abbey Hersfeld Abbey Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse , Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.-History:... |
Hesse | 736–42 | 775 | 1,648 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. De facto De facto De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or... mediatised to Hesse-Kassel from 1606. RA |
RC | ||
 |
Irsee Abbey Irsee Abbey Irsee Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located at Irsee near Kaufbeuren in Bavaria. It is now a conference and training centre for Bavarian Swabia.-Abbey:... |
Bavaria | 1,186 | 1,695 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Kaisheim Abbey Kaisheim 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... (sometimes Kaisersheim Abbey) |
Bavaria | 1,135 | 1,346 | 1,802 Sec. | Cistercian monastery. Immediacy was not recognised by the Wittelsbach Wittelsbach The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of... s, who were the Vögte; a legal agreement was reached with their successors in 1656, confirming Reichsfreiheit. RA |
SC and RC | ||
 |
Kaufungen Abbey Kaufungen Abbey Kaufungen Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery founded in 1017 by the Empress Kunigunde, located in Kaufungen in Hessen, Germany.In 1532, during the Reformation, Count Philip I of Hesse appropriated it and gave it, together with Wetter Abbey, to the Hessische Ritterschaft for the care and shelter of... |
Hesse (Kassel Kassel Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :... ) |
1,017 | 1,017? | 1,527 Med. | Benedictine nunnery. Given to the Hessische Ritterschaft 1532; still extant as a private foundation. RA | ||
| Kempten Abbey | Bavaria | 752 | 1,062 | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery; Fürststift from 1524. RA / RF | RF | ||
| |
Klingenmünster Abbey Klingenmünster Abbey Klingenmünster Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in the village of Klingenmünster in Bad Bergzabern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:... |
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz .... |
636? | 1,115 | 1,567 Sec. | Possibly founded in 636, definitely before 780. Benedictine abbey until 1490; then Herrenstift. RA / RP | RC | |
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Königsbronn Abbey Königsbronn Abbey Königsbronn Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Königsbronn in Heidenheim an der Brenz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Pre-Reformation:... |
Baden-Württemberg (Heidenheim) | 1,303 | 1,450 probably 15th c. | 1,553 Med. | Cistercian monastery, taken over and made Protestant by Württemberg. It remained Protestant despite failed attempts to revert to Catholicism in 1630–32 and 1635–48; it was finally secularised in 1710. RA | ||
| Kornelimünster Abbey Kornelimünster Abbey Kornelimünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kornelimünster, since 1972 a part of Aachen , in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.- First foundation :... |
North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen) | 614 | 825 by mid-9th century | 1,802 | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | ||
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Kreuzlingen Abbey Kreuzlingen Abbey Kreuzlingen Abbey , in Kreuzlingen in Switzerland, on the border with Germany, was founded in about 1125 by Ulrich I of Dillingen, Bishop of Constance, as a house of Augustinian Canons. In 1848 the government of the Canton of Thurgau dissolved the monastery and took over its property... |
Switzerland | 1,125 | 1,150 | 1,648 Switz. | Augustinian Canons. Dissolved by the cantonal government in 1848. RA | ||
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Lindau Abbey Lindau Abbey Lindau Abbey was a house of secular canonesses in Lindau on the Bodensee in Bavaria, Germany, which stands on an island in the lake.- History :... |
Bavaria | 822 | 1,466 | 1,802 | Frauenstift, possibly later a Reichsfürstabtei; RA. | SC | |
| Lorsch Abbey Lorsch Abbey The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey in Lorsch, Germany, about 10 km east of Worms, one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany... |
Hesse (Darmstadt Darmstadt Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat... ) |
764 | 852 (confirmed) | 1,232 Med. | Benedictine monastery until 1248; thereafter Premonstratensian until dissolution in 1556. RA | SC | ||
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Malmedy Abbey | Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
645 | 651? | 1,794 Sec. | Benedictine monastery, forming a single principality with Stavelot. RA | RF | |
| Marchtal Abbey Marchtal Abbey Marchtal Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery in Obermarchtal in the Alb-Donau-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The minster church of Saints Peter and Paul, the former abbey church, located on a prominent elevation, still dominates the landscape for miles around.-First foundation:In 776... (also Marchthal) |
Baden-Württemberg | 700 before 776 | 1,500 | 1,803 Sec. | Premonstratensian monastery. Refounded 1171. RA | SC | ||
| Marmoutier Abbey; also Maursmünster | 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... |
659 | 700 7th/8th centuries | 1,789 | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Maulbronn Abbey Maulbronn Abbey Maulbronn Monastery is the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex in Europe. It is situated on the outskirts of Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and is separated from the town by fortifications. Since 1993 the monastery is part of the Unesco World Heritage.- History :The... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,147 | 1,147 | 1,806 Sec. | Cistercian monastery. Seized by Württemberg in 1504, secularised in 1534, alternated between Cistercianism and Protestantism until settled to the latter by Peace of Westphalia Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties signed between May and October of 1648 in Osnabrück and Münster. These treaties ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire, and the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, with Spain formally recognizing the... in 1648. RA |
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Memleben Abbey Memleben Abbey Memleben Abbey was a Benedictine monastery, now ruined, on the Unstrut in Memleben, in the Burgenlandkreis near Nebra in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-History:The royal villa of Memleben acquired considerable importance under the Ottonian Dynasty... |
Saxony-Anhalt | 975 | 975 uncertain, poss. late 10th c. | 1,548 Med. | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
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Michaelsberg Abbey (also known as Siegburg Abbey) | North Rhine-Westphalia (Siegburg Siegburg --122.148.78.228 05:06, 14 November 2011 Siegburg is a city in the district of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany... ) |
1,064 | 1,512 | 1,676 Med. | Benedictine monastery. Secularised in 1803. RA | RC | |
| Mönchrot Abbey Rot an der Rot Abbey Rot an der Rot Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastery in Rot an der Rot in Upper Swabia, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was the first Premonstratensian monastery in the whole of Swabia... , also Mönchroth, Münchenroth, Rot or Rot an der Rot Abbey |
Baden-Württemberg (Rot an der Rot Rot an der Rot Rot an der Rot is a town in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The town developed out of Rot an der Rot Abbey.... ) |
1,126 | 1,497 | 1,803 Med. | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Mondsee Abbey Mondsee Abbey Mondsee Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Mondsee in Upper Austria.-History:The region of the Mondseeland, in which Mondsee is located, was formerly part of Bavaria. In 748 Mondsee Abbey was founded by Odilo, Duke of Bavaria. The abbey tradition was that the first monks came from Monte Cassino... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
748 | 788 | 1,791 | Benedictine monastery. Imperial immediacy lost to the Bishopric of Regensburg Bishopric of Regensburg The Bishopric of Regensburg was a small prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire, located in what is now southern Germany. It was elevated to the Archbishopric of Regensburg in 1803 after the dissolution of the Archbishopric of Mainz, but became a bishopric again in 1817.-History:The diocese... 831–1142. RA |
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| Abbey of Münster im Gregoriental Munster, Haut-Rhin Munster is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is located in a valley of the Vosges mountains about 15 kilometres west of Colmar on the D417 road to the Col de la Schlucht and Épinal.... |
Alsace | 660 | 1,235 | 1,789 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Murbach Abbey Murbach Abbey Murbach Abbey was a famous Benedictine monastery in Murbach, southern Alsace, in a valley at the foot of the Grand Ballon in the Vosges.The monastery was founded in 727 by Eberhard, Count of Alsace, and established as a Benedictine house by Saint Pirmin. Its territory once comprised 3 towns and 30... (incl Lüders Lure, Haute-Saône Lure is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.The Abbey of Lure was situated here. In the seventh century, Clothaire II recognised the virtues of Saint Deicolus and considerably enriched the Abbey of Lure, also granting Deicolus the manor, woods,... ) |
Alsace | 727 | 782 from 782–83 | 1,789 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. Effectively French since 1648, but anomalously remained legally part of the Empire; dissolved during the 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... . RF |
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Muri Abbey Muri Abbey Muri Abbey was a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. It flourished for over eight centuries at Muri, in the Canton of Aargau, near Basle in Switzerland... |
Switzerland | 1,027 | 1,701 | 1,648 Switz. | Benedictine monastery. The abbey was never Reichsfrei, but the abbot was created Reichsfürst in 1701. RA | ||
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Neresheim Abbey Neresheim Abbey Neresheim Abbey or the Abbey of Saints Ulrich and Afra, Neresheim is located above the town of Neresheim in Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,095 | 1,764 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. The abbey's status was the subject of litigation with the County of Oettingen until after 1760. RA | SC | |
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Niedermünster Niedermünster, Regensburg The Niedermünster or Niedermünster Abbey , Regensburg, was a house of canonesses in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. At the height of its power was one of the wealthiest and most influential in Bavaria... |
Bavaria (Regensburg Regensburg Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate... ) |
700 | 1,002 | 1,803 Sec. | Frauenstift. Refounded 788, 948–55. RA | RC | |
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Nordhausen Nordhausen Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen... chapter |
Thuringia Thuringia The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states.... |
950 poss mid-10th c. | 1,220 | 1,802 Sec. | Chapter of Nordhausen Cathedral. RA | ||
| Obermünster Obermünster, Regensburg The Obermünster, or Obermünster Abbey, Regensburg, was a collegiate house of canonesses in Regensburg, Bavaria, second only to Niedermünster in wealth and power.- History :... |
Bavaria (Regensburg) | 825 early 9th century | 1,024 | 1,810 | Benedictine nunnery, later Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1315 | RC | ||
| Oberschönenfeld Abbey Oberschönenfeld Abbey Oberschönenfeld Abbey is a Cistercian nunnery in Gessertshausen in Bavaria, Germany.-History:As early as around 1186 there were Beguines, or a similar community of women, on this site... |
Bavaria | 1,211 | 1,248? | 1,803 Sec. | Beguines until c 1211, then Cistercian nunnery, formalised from 1248. RA | |||
| Ochsenhausen Abbey Ochsenhausen Abbey Ochsenhausen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Ochsenhausen in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,093 | 1,495 | 1,803 Sec | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Odenheim Abbey (originally Wigoldsberg; later also Odenheim and Bruchsal) | Baden-Württemberg | 1,108 | 1,161 | 1,802–03 Sec | Benedictine monastery; Herrenstift from 1496. RA | RC | |
| Ottobeuren Abbey Ottobeuren Abbey Ottobeuren is a Benedictine abbey, located in Ottobeuren, near Memmingen in the Bavarian Allgäu, Germany.-First foundation:It was founded in 764 by Blessed Toto, and dedicated to St. Alexander, the martyr. Of its early history little is known beyond the fact that Toto, its first abbot, died about... |
Bavaria | 764 | 1,299, regranted 1710 | 1,802 Sec | ( Bishopric of Augsburg Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg The Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg was one of the prince-bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire, which belonged to the Swabian Circle.-Early period:... 1624–1710) |
Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Petershausen Abbey Petershausen Abbey Petershausen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery at Petershausen, now a district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-History:... |
Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz Konstanz Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:... ) |
983 | 1,225 early 13th century | 1,802 Sec | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Pfäfers Abbey Pfäfers Abbey Pfäfers Abbey , also known as St. Pirminsberg from its position on a mountain, was a Benedictine monastery in Pfäfers near Bad Ragaz, in the canton of St... |
Switzerland | 731 | 1,408 | 1,648 Switz. | Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of HRE in 1648 (secularised 1798; re-established 1803). RA | ||
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Prüfening Abbey Prüfening Abbey Prüfening Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on the outskirts of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany. Since the beginning of the 19th century it has also been known as Prüfening Castle... |
Bavaria (Regensburg) | 1,119 | 1,119 Unknown | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Prüm Abbey Prüm Abbey Prüm Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Prüm/Lorraine, now in the diocese of Trier , founded by a Frankish widow Bertrada, and her son Charibert, count of Laon, on 23 June 720. The first abbot was Angloardus.... |
Rhineland-Palatinate | 720 | 1,222 | 1,576 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. Annexed by France 1794. RF | RF | ||
| Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey was a house of secular canonesses in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of Henry the Fowler, as his memorial... |
Saxony-Anhalt | 936 | 936 | 1,803 | Frauenstift; Lutheran from 1540. RA | RC | ||
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Recklinghausen Recklinghausen Recklinghausen is the northernmost city in the Ruhr-Area and the capital of the Recklinghausen district. It borders the rural Münsterland and is characterized by large fields and farms in the north and industry in the south... Abbey (also Rechenhausen) |
North Rhine-Westphalia | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | RA | ||
| Reichenau Abbey Reichenau Island Reichenau Island lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany, at approximately . It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838... |
Baden-Württemberg | 724 | Unknown | 1,540 or 1548 | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Riddagshausen Abbey Riddagshausen Abbey Riddagshausen Abbey was a Cistercian monastery just outside the city of Brunswick in Germany.It was founded as Marienzelle by Ludolf the Wend, a ministerialis of Henry the Lion and steward of Brunswick, and settled in 1145 by monks from Amelungsborn Abbey... |
Brunswick Braunschweig Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser.... |
1,145/46 | 1,147 Uncertain, early | 1,569 Med. | Cistercian monastery. Mediatised on Reformation to Lutheran seminary; secularised 1809. RA | ||
| Roggenburg Abbey Roggenburg Abbey Roggenburg Abbey is a Premonstratensian canonry in Roggenburg near Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, in operation between 1126 and 1802, and again from its re-foundation in 1986. Since 1992 it has been an independent priory of Windberg Abbey in Lower Bavaria... |
Bavaria | 1,126 | 1,482–1485 | 1,803 Sec. | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Rottenmünster Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Rottweil Rottweil Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants... ) |
1,224 | 1,237 | 1,803 Sec. | Cistercian nunnery. Reopened 1898. RA | SC | |
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Saalfeld Abbey | Thuringia (Saalfeld) | 1,071 | Unknown | 1,526 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
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St Bartholomäus cathedral chapter Frankfurt Cathedral Saint Bartholomeus's Cathedral is a Gothic building located in Frankfurt, Germany.Frankfurt Cathedral is the main church of Frankfurt and was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time... |
Hesse (Frankfurt am Main) | 852 | Unknown | 1,803 Sec. | Chapter of the Kaiserdom in Frankfurt. RP | RC | |
| St. Blaise's in the Black Forest | Baden-Württemberg | 950 Uncertain | 1,609 | 1,806 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. The Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's had princely status (RF) not because of the abbey itself but because the abbey had acquired the County of Bonndorf Bonndorf Bonndorf is a town in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the southern Black Forest, 14 km southeast of Titisee-Neustadt. It comprises the villages Boll, Brunnadern, Dillendorf, Ebnet, Gündelwangen, Holzschlag, Wellendingen and Wittlekofen. The town is... , which carried princely status with it from 1609 |
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St. Emmeram's Abbey St. Emmeram's Abbey St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St... |
Bavaria (Regensburg) | 739 | 1,295 | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
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St. Gall | Switzerland | 613 | 1,207 | 1,798 Sec. (1648 Switz.) | Benedictine monastery; later Fürstabtei. Swiss associate from 1451; secularised temporarily 1527–32. RA / RF | SC | |
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St George's at Isny in the Allgäu St. George's Abbey, Isny St. George's Abbey, Isny in Isny im Allgäu in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is a former Benedictine abbey founded in 1096 and secularised in 1802.-History:... |
Baden-Württemberg (Isny im Allgäu Isny im Allgäu Isny im Allgäu is a town in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu region. For nearly 1000 years, Isny was an important town within the Holy Roman Empire... ) |
1,096 | 1,781 | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
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St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein | Switzerland (Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.The town has a well-preserved medieval centre, retaining the ancient street plan. The site of the city wall, and the city gates are preserved, though the former city wall now consists of houses... ) |
850 9th c. | 1,450 15th c. | 1,521–26 Sec. | Founded 9th century on the Hohentwiel Hohentwiel Hohentwiel is an extinct volcano in the Hegau region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. About 20 miles from Lake Constance, it lies in the German city of Singen.... ; moved to Stein am Rhein ca 1007. RA |
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St. Giles' Abbey, Nuremberg (Schottenkloster Sankt Ägidien) | Bavaria | 1,140 | Unknown | 1,525 Med. | "Schottenkloster"; Benedictine monastery from 1418. Absorbed by Nuremberg in 1525 (possibly 1567) as unable to document immediacy. RA | ||
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St. Ludger's Abbey St. Ludger's Abbey St. Ludger's Abbey was a former monastery of the Benedictine Order in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, founded by Saint Ludger around 800. Until it was secularised in 1802 it was an Imperial Abbey, with sovereignty over the whole town of Helmstedt until the 15th century.- History :Shortly before 800 the... |
Lower Saxony (Helmstedt Helmstedt Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt.... ) |
800 | Unknown | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
| St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier St. Maximin's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-History:The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Trier in the 4th century. Maximin St. Maximin's Abbey was a... |
Rhineland-Palatinate | 350 4th c. | 1,100 before early 12th c. | 1,669 Med. | Benedictine monastery. Mediatised to Electoral Palatinate in 16th century, but status not finalised until immediacy definitively surrendered to Trier in 1669. RA | RC | ||
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St. Peter's Abbey in the Black Forest | Baden-Württemberg | 1,073 | 1,075 11th c. | 1,806 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
| St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey | Bavaria | 950 ca 10th c. | 1,577 de jure De jure De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'.... 1643 de facto De facto De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or... |
1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery from 1006–12; probably refounded from a 5th or 6th century predecessor. The abbey was made reichsunmittelbar in 1577 but its status was challenged by the 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.... in litigation until 1643/44. RA |
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| Salem Abbey Salem Abbey Salem Abbey , also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Abbey:The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute Salem Abbey (Kloster or... aka Salmansweiler |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,136 | 1,138–52 | 1,803 Sec. | Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Schaffhausen Schaffhausen Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 .... Abbey |
Switzerland | 1,049 | 1,080 | 1,529 Med. | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
| Schänis Abbey Schänis Abbey Schänis Abbey was founded in the 9th century. It was situated in the present town of Schänis in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. It was a house of secular canonesses of the nobility and was dissolved in 1811.- History :... |
Switzerland | 850 9th c. | 1,045 | 1,438 Med. | Frauenstift. Frederick IV, King of Germany Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452... confirmed the abbatial rights in 1442, but the link with the Empire was broken; the abbess continued to bear the title of Princess of the Holy Roman Empire until secularisation to the canton of St. Gallen Canton of St. Gallen The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling... under the Act of Mediation Act of Mediation The Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. The act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802,... in 1803. Suspended during the Protestant Reformation Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led... 1529–31. RA |
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Schussenried Abbey Schussenried Abbey Schussenried Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastery in Bad Schussenried, Upper Swabia, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,183 | 1,440 | 1,803 Sec. | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | |
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Schuttern Abbey Schuttern Abbey Schuttern Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Schuttern , Baden-Württemberg, Germany.- History :... |
Baden-Württemberg | 603 | 975 | 1,801 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. Not to be confused with Schottern Abbey in Austria, secularised in the 15th century. RA | SC | |
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Selz Abbey Selz Abbey Selz Abbey or Seltz Abbey is a former monastery and Imperial abbey in Seltz, formerly Selz, in Alsace, France.The Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, was founded in about 991 by Adelheid, the second wife of Otto I and dowager empress, who was buried there on 16 December 999.... |
Baden Baden Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany.... , later Alsace |
991 | 992 | 1,481 Med. | Benedictine monastery / nunnery. Secularised in 1803. RA | ||
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Söflingen Abbey Söflingen Abbey Söflingen Abbey was a nunnery of the Order of Poor Ladies, also known as the Poor Clares, the Poor Clare Sisters, the Clarisse, the Minoresses, or the Second Order of St. Francis. It was situated in the village of Söflingen, now part of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany... (sometimes Söfflingen) |
Baden-Württemberg (Ulm Ulm Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and... ) |
1,258 | 1,773 | 1,797 Sec. | Poor Clares. RA | SC | |
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Stablo or Stavelot Abbey (also Stablingen) | Belgium | 651 | 651? | 1,794 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. Formed a single principality with Malmedy. RF. | RF | |
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Thorn Abbey Thorn Abbey Thorn Abbey or Imperial Abbey of Thorn was an imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire in was is now the Netherlands. The capital was Thorn. It was founded in th 10th century; independence ended in 1794, when it was occupied by French troops... |
The Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... (Limburg Limburg (Netherlands) Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to... ) |
975 | 1,292 | 1,795 Sec. | Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1793. | RC | |
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Ursberg Abbey Ursberg Abbey Ursberg Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery, now a convent of the Franciscan St. Joseph's Congregation, situated in the small village of Ursberg in the district of Günzburg, Bavaria.-History:... |
Bavaria | 1,126–28 | 1,143 | 1,803 Sec. | Premonstratensian monastery. Not to be confused with Urspring Abbey. RA | SC | |
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Waldsassen Abbey Waldsassen Abbey Waldsassen Abbey is a Cistercian nunnery, formerly a Cistercian monastery, located on the River Wondreb at Waldsassen near Tirschenreuth, Oberpfalz in Bavaria, Germany, close to the border with the Czech Republic.- First foundation :... |
Bavaria | 1,128–32 | 1,177 | 1,543 Med. | Cistercian monastery. Secularised to Electorate of Bavaria Electorate of Bavaria The Electorate of Bavaria was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria.... in 1803; reopened as Cistercian nunnery 1863. RA |
SC | |
| Walkenried Abbey Walkenried Abbey Walkenried Abbey was one of the most celebrated Cistercian abbeys of Germany, located in the village of Walkenried in the district of Osterode in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:... |
Lower Saxony | 1,127 | 1,542 | 1,648 Med. | Cistercian monastery. RA | RC | ||
| Weingarten Abbey Weingarten Abbey Weingarten Abbey or St. Martin's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the Martinsberg in Weingarten near Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg .-First foundation:... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,056 | 1,274 | 1,803 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | ||
| Weissenau Abbey Weissenau Abbey - References : Binder, Helmut , 1995. 850 Jahre Prämonstratenserabtei Weissenau. 1145–1995. Sigmaringen: Thorbecke. ISBN 3-7995-0414-1 Eitel, Peter , 1983. Weissenau in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Festschrift zur 700-Jahrfeier der Übergabe der Heiligblutreliquie durch Rudolf von Habsburg an die... |
Baden-Württemberg (Ravensburg Ravensburg Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre... ) |
1,145 | 1,257 | 1,802 | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | ||
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Weissenburg Abbey Wissembourg Wissembourg is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in northeastern France.It is situated on the little River Lauter close to the border between France and Germany approximately north of Strasbourg and west of Karlsruhe. Wissembourg is a sub-prefecture of the department... |
Alsace | 650 7th c. | Unknown | 1,306 Med. | Reichspropstei. Raised to Imperial city 1306, joined Décapole Décapole The Décapole was an alliance formed in 1354 by ten Imperial cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the Alsace region to maintain their rights, it was disbanded in 1679.... 1354, annexed by France 1697. RP / RF (status later assumed by Bishop of Speyer Bishopric of Speyer The Bishopric of Speyer was a state, ruled by Prince-Bishops, in what is today the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was secularized in 1803... ). |
RF | |
| Werden Abbey Werden Abbey Werden Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Essen-Werden , situated on the Ruhr.- The foundation of the abbey :Near Essen Saint Ludger founded a monastery in 799 and became its first abbot. The little church which Saint Ludger built here in honor of Saint Stephen was completed in 804 and dedicated... |
North Rhine-Westphalia (Essen Essen - Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of... ) |
799 | 877 | 1,803 | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | ||
| Wettenhausen Abbey Wettenhausen Abbey Wettenhausen Abbey was formerly a monastery of the Augustinian Canons; today it is a Dominican convent. The abbey is in Wettenhausen in the municipality of Kammeltal in Bavaria.-Augustinians:... |
Bavaria | 1,130 | Unknown | 1,803 Sec. | Augustinian Canons. Founded on the site of an earlier foundation, dated 982. RA | SC | ||
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Zwiefalten Abbey Zwiefalten Abbey - References :... |
Baden-Württemberg | 1,089 | 1,750 | 1,802 Sec. | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| CoA Coat of arms A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth... |
Religious house | Location | Founded | Imm. | Lost imm. | To... | Description and status | College |
List B: Reichsmatrikel 1521
The Matrikel of 1521 included a number of religious houses which have not been identified:| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckenried Abbey | Switzerland | ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648 | RA |
| Blankenburg Abbey | nk | nk | nk |
| Brunnen Abbey | Landstrass, Carinthia Carinthia (state) Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group... (Austria) |
nk | nk |
| Hynoltshusen Abbey | nk | nk | monastery |
| Kitzingen Abbey | nk | nk | monastery |
| Rockenhausen | nk | nk | RA |
| St. Johann (St. John's Abbey) | nk | nk | nk |
Inclusion in the 1521 Reichsmatrikel is not by itself conclusive evidence that a particular religious house was in fact an Imperial abbey, and the status of the following abbey listed in the Matrikel is questionable in the absence of further confirmation from other sources:
| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal was a Benedictine monastery originally established in Alt St. Johann in the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, in the mid-12th century.... (Sant Johans im Turital) |
Switzerland (Alt St. Johann Alt St. Johann Alt St. Johann is a village in the new municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The municipalities of Alt St. Johann and Wildhaus merged on 1 January 2010 into the new municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St.Johann.-History:Alt St.... , later Nesslau) |
fdd. before 1152; RU nk (if at all); subordinated to St. Gall's Abbey Abbey of St. Gall The Abbey of Saint Gall is a religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Carolingian-era Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th century, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It was... 1555; ceased to be part of the HRE 1648 (dissolved 1805) |
Benedictine monastery. Imperial status unknown |
List C: Imperial abbeys not named in the Matrikel
For a variety of reasons a quantity of religious houses that possessed, or claimed, the status of Imperial immediacy either did not attend the Reichstag, or were not listed in the surviving Matrikel. The following list is very far from complete, and possibly some of those listed may not in fact have been reichsunmittelbar.| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amorbach Abbey Amorbach Abbey Amorbach Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located at Amorbach in the district of Miltenberg in Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.- History :... |
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... |
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| Munsterbilzen Abbey Munsterbilzen Abbey Munsterbilzen Abbey was an abbey of Benedictine nuns in Munsterbilzen, Limburg, Belgium, founded in around 670 by Saint Landrada. It was plundered by Vikings in 881 but restored. From the 9th century it was dedicated to Saint Amor.... |
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
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| Nienburg Abbey Nienburg Abbey Nienburg Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Nienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.- Abbey :Nienburg was for centuries on the extreme eastern edge of the settled territory of Germany... |
Saxony-Anhalt | fdd 975; RU temp. Otto II; mediatised 1166 by the Archbishop of Magdeburg; secularised 1563 by the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC |
| Nivelles Abbey | Belgium | |||
| Schöntal Abbey Schöntal Abbey Schöntal Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Schöntal in the district of Hohenlohe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is famous as one of the most impressive pieces of Baroque architecture in northern Württemberg and is now used by the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart as a retreat and training... |
Baden-Württemberg | fdd. 1157; RU from 1418 to 1495; secularised 1803 | Cistercian; RA | |
| Tegernsee Abbey Tegernsee Abbey Tegernsee Abbey or the Imperial Abbey of Tegernsee is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around are named after the Tegernsee, the lake on the shores of which they are located... |
Bavaria | |||
| Wiblingen Abbey Wiblingen Abbey Wiblingen Abbey was a former Benedictine abbey which was later used as barracks. Today its buildings house several departments of the medical faculty of the University of Ulm. The former abbey is located south of the confluence of the rivers Danube and Iller, south of the city of Ulm in the German... |
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... , Ulm Ulm Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and... |
fdd. 1037; RU from 1701; secularised 1806 | Benedictine; RA |
External links
- Reichstag participants 1521, c. 1755 and 1792, on Heraldica website
- 1521 Reichsmatrikel
- Sarah Hadry: Reichsstifte [Imperial Abbeys]. In: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns. Onlineversion
- Sarah Hadry: Reichsprälatenkollegium [Council of Imperial Abbeys]. In: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns. Onlineversion