St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal
Encyclopedia
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.
The oldest written record of it is dated October 4, 1152, when Pope Eugene III
took the monastery into his protection. The pope confirmed the monastery's possessions and free election of its abbot and Vogt
.
On October 24, 1178, Pope Alexander III
confirmed the abbey's extended possessions.
In 1227/1228, the king became Vogt
of the abbey. In December 1231, Emperor Frederick II
issued a Golden Bull
confirming his obligations as Vogt
of the abbey.
The abbey owned numerous estates in Toggenburg
and in the Rhine valley: St. Johann, Stein
, Nesslau
, Kappel
, St. Peterzell
and Mogelsberg
; and in Vorarlberg
in Austria
, near Feldkirch
, in Klaus
, Götzis
and Altach
.
The abbey also frequently bought land in the territory which is now the principality of Liechtenstein
, most notably the prominent Red House in Vaduz
, which it purchased in 1525 from the heirs of the medieval owners, the Vaisli family.
The abbey's high point was during the 14th century. It survived the Reformation
, but lost its independence in 1555, when it became a priory of St. Gall's Abbey
.
In 1626 the buildings were severely damaged by fire, and the monks were afflicted by a mysterious illness and the community moved along the valley to a new location at Sidwald near Nesslau, since then known as Neu St. Johann. On the site of the old monastery a parish church was built, with a priest's house.
The new monastery buildings in Nesslau
, which were completed by 1680, were in a magnificent Rococo style. Toggenburg was an area of mixed denominations, and the priory was an instrument of the Counter-Reformation
under the leadership of the Prince-Abbots of St. Gallen.
The priory was dissolved in 1805. The former monastic church became the Roman Catholic parish church of the parish of Neu St. Johann. The remaining buildings now accommodate a remedial educational centre known as the Johanneum.
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....
in 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...
, 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....
, in the mid-12th century.
The oldest written record of it is dated October 4, 1152, when Pope Eugene III
Pope Eugene III
Pope Blessed Eugene III , born Bernardo da Pisa, was Pope from 1145 to 1153. He was the first Cistercian to become Pope.-Early life:...
took the monastery into his protection. The pope confirmed the monastery's possessions and free election of its abbot and Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
.
On October 24, 1178, Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
confirmed the abbey's extended possessions.
In 1227/1228, the king became Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of the abbey. In December 1231, Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
issued a Golden Bull
Golden Bull
A Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...
confirming his obligations as Vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
of the abbey.
The abbey owned numerous estates in Toggenburg
Toggenburg
Toggenburg is the name given to the upper valley of the Thur River, in the Swiss Canton of St. Gallen. Currently, it is one of the eight constituencies into which the canton is divided....
and in the Rhine valley: St. Johann, Stein
Stein, St. Gallen
Stein is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Stein has an area, , of . Of this area, 57.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 37.3% is forested...
, Nesslau
Nesslau-Krummenau
Nesslau-Krummenau is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It was formed from the January 1, 2005 union of the formerly separate municipalities of Nesslau and Krummenau.-History:...
, Kappel
Ebnat-Kappel
Ebnat-Kappel is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Kappel is first mentioned in 1218 as Capelle. Until 1762 Ebnat was known as Ober-Wattwil.-Geography:...
, St. Peterzell
St. Peterzell
St. Peterzell is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.It was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Brunnadern and Mogelsberg to form the municipality of Neckertal.-External links:*...
and Mogelsberg
Mogelsberg
Mogelsberg is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Mogelsberg was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Brunnadern and St. Peterzell to form the municipality of Neckertal.-External links:*...
; and in Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
in 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...
, near Feldkirch
Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
- Schools :* Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch * Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Feldkirch* Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Schillerstrasse...
, in Klaus
Klaus, Vorarlberg
Klaus is a municipality in the district of Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria.-References:...
, Götzis
Götzis
Götzis is a town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, district Feldkirch.The town is well-known for its annual hypo-combined events meeting, the so called Hypo-Meeting, where some of the world's leading decathletes and heptathletes gather in the Mösle stadium...
and Altach
Altach
Altach is a municipality in Feldkirch district, Vorarlberg state, Austria. It has a population of 6,512.- Geography :Altach lies in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg at 412 m above sea level. Its total area is 5.36 km²...
.
The abbey also frequently bought land in the territory which is now the principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, most notably the prominent Red House in Vaduz
Vaduz
Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop....
, which it purchased in 1525 from the heirs of the medieval owners, the Vaisli family.
The abbey's high point was during the 14th century. It survived 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...
, but lost its independence in 1555, when it became a priory of 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...
.
In 1626 the buildings were severely damaged by fire, and the monks were afflicted by a mysterious illness and the community moved along the valley to a new location at Sidwald near Nesslau, since then known as Neu St. Johann. On the site of the old monastery a parish church was built, with a priest's house.
The new monastery buildings in Nesslau
Nesslau-Krummenau
Nesslau-Krummenau is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It was formed from the January 1, 2005 union of the formerly separate municipalities of Nesslau and Krummenau.-History:...
, which were completed by 1680, were in a magnificent Rococo style. Toggenburg was an area of mixed denominations, and the priory was an instrument of the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
under the leadership of the Prince-Abbots of St. Gallen.
The priory was dissolved in 1805. The former monastic church became the Roman Catholic parish church of the parish of Neu St. Johann. The remaining buildings now accommodate a remedial educational centre known as the Johanneum.