Seeon Abbey
Encyclopedia
Seeon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Seeon-Seebruck
in the rural district of Traunstein
in Bavaria
, Germany
.
Seeon Abbey was founded in 994 by Pfalzgraf Aribo I of Bavaria and settled by Benedictine monks from St. Emmeram's Abbey
, Regensburg
. The monastery is on an island in a lake, several miles from the settlement of Seeon. The abbey soon developed a significant scriptorium
, producing manuscripts not only for the abbey's own use but also for other monasteries and churches. Their most important client was Emperor Henry II
, who presented many volumes to the Bishopric of Bamberg, which he had founded .
Towards the end of the 11th century the abbey church was re-built in the Romanesque
style, but this building stood for only 100 years or so, before in about 1180 it was replaced by the present church, terminating in the east with an apse
.
More alterations in the late Gothic style were carried out between 1428 and 1433 by Konrad Pürkhel of Burghausen
. The Romanesque basilica
was given a vaulted ceiling and a new choir
. In 1579 the church was decorated with unusual Renaissance
frescoes, showing, alongside scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, the patrons, Saints Benedict
and Lambert
, and the founders, Aribo and Adala. Also of special note is the red marble gravestone of Abbot Honorat Kolb and the gravestones of the abbots of the 15th and 16th centuries lined up against the walls of the castle chapel. In the middle stands the tomb of the founder, Count Aribo I, made by Hans Heider in about 1400. The restored cloisters are also worth seeing.
The original of the Madonna and Child (or the Seeoner Muttergottes, created in 1433 by the "Master of Seeon", as the anonymous artist is known) is considered one of the most beautiful representations of the subject. Since 1855 it has been in the Bavarian National Museum
in Munich
, but a copy has stood since 1947 on the high altar of the present parish church. The sacristy at Seeon contains a far older Madonna of about 1380.
The church originally had only one tower, that is, the north one, built to the model of that at Frauenchiemsee
. The second tower was added at the end of the 12th century. The Romanesque towers are reminiscent of Freising
Cathedral and, like the Frauenkirche
at Munich
, have copper "onion towers", which were added after a fire in 1561. Between 1657 and 1670 the church was extended by the construction of a sacristy in the Lady Chapel
, an oratory and a crypt beneath the chapel of Saint Barbara
.
Until the secularisation of Bavaria in 1803 Seeon was a place of learning and culture: Haydn was a guest here, and Mozart
was active here between 1767 and 1769.
After 1803 the abbey was dissolved and the buildings were turned into a castle, and used later at various times as a medicinal spa, convalescent home and barracks. The infirmary and the library were demolished, and a causeway constructed connecting the island to the mainland.
In 1989 the premises were eventually acquired by the government of the administrative region of Oberbayern
and after a lengthy restoration reopened in 1993 as a cultural and educational centre, which is now used for concerts, exhibitions, seminars, conferences and workshops.
Seeon-Seebruck
Seeon-Seebruck is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the northern end of lake Chiemsee. It is located near the origin of the river Alz.-Municipal districts:* Seebruck* Seeon* Truchtlaching...
in the rural district of Traunstein
Traunstein (district)
Traunstein is a Kreis in the southeastern part of Bavaria, Germany. Neighboring districts are Mühldorf, Altötting, the Austrian states Upper Austria and Salzburg, the district Berchtesgadener Land, the Austrian states of Salzburg and Tyrol, and the district Rosenheim.-Geography:The district is...
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
St. Emmeram's Abbey
St. Emmeram's Abbey , now known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis, Schloss St. Emmeram, and St...
, 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...
. The monastery is on an island in a lake, several miles from the settlement of Seeon. The abbey soon developed a significant scriptorium
Scriptorium
Scriptorium, literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the copying of manuscripts by monastic scribes...
, producing manuscripts not only for the abbey's own use but also for other monasteries and churches. Their most important client was Emperor Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, who presented many volumes to the Bishopric of Bamberg, which he had founded .
Towards the end of the 11th century the abbey church was re-built in the Romanesque
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,...
style, but this building stood for only 100 years or so, before in about 1180 it was replaced by the present church, terminating in the east with an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
.
More alterations in the late Gothic style were carried out between 1428 and 1433 by Konrad Pürkhel of Burghausen
Burghausen
Burghausen may refer to several places in Germany:*Burghausen, Altötting, a town in southeastern Bavaria*Burghausen bei Münnerstadt, part of Münnerstadt in northern Bavaria*Burghausen bei Freising, part of Kirchdorf an der Amper in central Bavaria...
. The Romanesque basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
was given a vaulted ceiling and a new 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...
. In 1579 the church was decorated with unusual Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
frescoes, showing, alongside scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, the patrons, Saints Benedict
Benedict of Nursia
Saint Benedict of Nursia is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no...
and Lambert
Saint Lambert (martyr)
Saint Lambert was the bishop of Maastricht from about 670 until his death. Lambert was from a noble family of Maastricht, a protégé of his uncle, Bishop Theodard of Maastricht. When Theodard was murdered soon after 669, the councillors of Childeric II made Lambert bishop of Maastricht...
, and the founders, Aribo and Adala. Also of special note is the red marble gravestone of Abbot Honorat Kolb and the gravestones of the abbots of the 15th and 16th centuries lined up against the walls of the castle chapel. In the middle stands the tomb of the founder, Count Aribo I, made by Hans Heider in about 1400. The restored cloisters are also worth seeing.
The original of the Madonna and Child (or the Seeoner Muttergottes, created in 1433 by the "Master of Seeon", as the anonymous artist is known) is considered one of the most beautiful representations of the subject. Since 1855 it has been in the Bavarian National Museum
Bavarian National Museum
The Bavarian National Museum in Munich is one of the most important cultural history museums in Europe.-Building and History:...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, but a copy has stood since 1947 on the high altar of the present parish church. The sacristy at Seeon contains a far older Madonna of about 1380.
The church originally had only one tower, that is, the north one, built to the model of that at Frauenchiemsee
Chiemsee
Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, Germany, between Rosenheim, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. It is often called the Bavarian Sea. The rivers Tiroler Achen and Prien flow into the lake; the river Alz, out of it...
. The second tower was added at the end of the 12th century. The Romanesque towers are reminiscent of Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
Cathedral and, like the Frauenkirche
Munich Frauenkirche
The Frauenkirche is a church in the Bavarian city of Munich that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop. It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.The church towers are widely visible because of local height...
at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, have copper "onion towers", which were added after a fire in 1561. Between 1657 and 1670 the church was extended by the construction of a sacristy in the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, an oratory and a crypt beneath the chapel of Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....
.
Until the secularisation of Bavaria in 1803 Seeon was a place of learning and culture: Haydn was a guest here, and Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
was active here between 1767 and 1769.
After 1803 the abbey was dissolved and the buildings were turned into a castle, and used later at various times as a medicinal spa, convalescent home and barracks. The infirmary and the library were demolished, and a causeway constructed connecting the island to the mainland.
In 1989 the premises were eventually acquired by the government of the administrative region of Oberbayern
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
and after a lengthy restoration reopened in 1993 as a cultural and educational centre, which is now used for concerts, exhibitions, seminars, conferences and workshops.