Walkenried Abbey
Encyclopedia
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
.
. The first monks came from Altfeld Abbey, also known as Kamp Abbey
, in the Archdiocese of Cologne
. In the time of the first abbot, Henry I (1127–28), two daughter houses were founded: Pforta
(1132) and Sichem or Sittichenbach Abbey
(1141) in the County of Mansfeld.
Walkenried grew rich and acquired lands as far away as the Rhine and Pomerania
. The monks gave much attention to land clearance and development, especially mining and smelting, and also the construction of fishponds.
In the 15th century, the abbey began to decline, and the Peasants' War
brought it to the verge of destruction. Around Easter
, 1525, a mob of 800 peasants from the southern Harz
region marched against Walkenried. Abbot Paulus (1520–36) and the monks fled, taking the archives with them. The abbey was plundered and the church tower torn down.
In 1542 the abbey was declared a "Reichsstift" (territorially independent). The next abbot, John VIII (1530–59), was very worldly and extravagant; in 1546 he and his monks became Lutherans
. Thereupon Count Ernst of Hohnstein
, as patron of the abbey, laid a complaint before Charles V
. In 1548 the emperor ordered that everything in the abbey should be restored to its former condition, but his command was unheeded. After the count's death the entire County of Honstein became Lutheran, and in 1557, a Protestant
school was opened at Walkenried. Four Protestant abbots directed the abbey until 1578, when the Count of Honstein appointed his son as administrator, after whose death Walkenried passed to the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
During the Thirty Years' War
the abbey was for a short time (1629–31) restored to the Cistercians. The Peace of Westphalia
put an end to the existence of the Protestant monastery and the abbey was secularised. In 1668, the school was closed.
From that time the abbey was systematically quarried as a source of building stone until about 1900. The Gothic
church, built during the years 1210–90, was greatly damaged by the destruction of the tower by the peasants in 1525; today only a few picturesque remains are still in existence. The library was also destroyed by the peasants, but the archives are preserved at Wolfenbüttel
. Otherwise however the claustral buildings are generally well preserved. The chapter hall has served since 1570 as a Lutheran church.
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...
, located in the village of Walkenried
Walkenried
Walkenried is a municipality in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 15 km northwest of Nordhausen....
in the district of Osterode
Osterode (district)
Osterode is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Göttingen, Northeim and Goslar, and by the state of Thuringia .-History:...
in 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...
, 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
It was founded in 1127 by Countess Adelheid of Klettenberg as the third Cistercian monastery in German-speaking territory; the foundation was confirmed in 1137 by Pope Innocent IIPope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...
. The first monks came from Altfeld Abbey, also known as Kamp Abbey
Kamp Abbey
Kamp Abbey , also known as Altenkamp Abbey or Altfeld Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery founded in German territory, in the present town of Kamp-Lintfort in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:It was founded in 1123 by Friedrich I, Archbishop of Cologne, and settled from Morimond Abbey...
, in the Archdiocese of Cologne
Archbishopric of Cologne
The Electorate of Cologne was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire and existed from the 10th to the early 19th century. It consisted of the temporal possessions of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne . It was ruled by the Archbishop in his function as prince-elector of...
. In the time of the first abbot, Henry I (1127–28), two daughter houses were founded: Pforta
Pforta
Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a former Cistercian monastery, Pforta Abbey , near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is now a celebrated German public boarding school, called Landesschule Pforta...
(1132) and Sichem or Sittichenbach Abbey
Sittichenbach Abbey
Sittichenbach Abbey , sometimes also known as Sichem Abbey, is a Cistercian monastery in Sittichenbach, now part of Osterhausen near Eisleben in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-First foundation:...
(1141) in the County of Mansfeld.
Walkenried grew rich and acquired lands as far away as the Rhine and Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
. The monks gave much attention to land clearance and development, especially mining and smelting, and also the construction of fishponds.
In the 15th century, the abbey began to decline, and the Peasants' War
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe, 1524–1526. At its height in the spring and summer of 1525, the conflict involved an estimated 300,000 peasants: contemporary estimates put the dead at 100,000...
brought it to the verge of destruction. Around Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, 1525, a mob of 800 peasants from the southern Harz
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
region marched against Walkenried. Abbot Paulus (1520–36) and the monks fled, taking the archives with them. The abbey was plundered and the church tower torn down.
In 1542 the abbey was declared a "Reichsstift" (territorially independent). The next abbot, John VIII (1530–59), was very worldly and extravagant; in 1546 he and his monks became Lutherans
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...
. Thereupon Count Ernst of Hohnstein
Hohnstein
Hohnstein is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in Saxon Switzerland, 12 km east of Pirna, and 28 km southeast of Dresden . It is dominated by its castle, standing on a sandstone rock....
, as patron of the abbey, laid a complaint before Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
. In 1548 the emperor ordered that everything in the abbey should be restored to its former condition, but his command was unheeded. After the count's death the entire County of Honstein became Lutheran, and in 1557, a Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
school was opened at Walkenried. Four Protestant abbots directed the abbey until 1578, when the Count of Honstein appointed his son as administrator, after whose death Walkenried passed to the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
the abbey was for a short time (1629–31) restored to the Cistercians. The 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...
put an end to the existence of the Protestant monastery and the abbey was secularised. In 1668, the school was closed.
From that time the abbey was systematically quarried as a source of building stone until about 1900. The Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church, built during the years 1210–90, was greatly damaged by the destruction of the tower by the peasants in 1525; today only a few picturesque remains are still in existence. The library was also destroyed by the peasants, but the archives are preserved at Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
. Otherwise however the claustral buildings are generally well preserved. The chapter hall has served since 1570 as a Lutheran church.