Appingen Abbey
Encyclopedia
Appingen Abbey is a former Carmelite monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the parish of Greetsiel
Greetsiel
Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in Pewsum...

, which is dedicated to Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

. It was named after the village of the same name.

History

The monastery was founded in 1437 by the chieftain family of Cirksena
Cirksena
The Cirksena are noble East Frisian family descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel.- The Cirksena in East Frisia :In 1439 in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Emden was first placed by Hamburg under direct rule and then, in 1453, finally...

. They gave the old parish church of Appingen to the Carmelite order. Originally the family came from this place, but left after the town was cut off from the sea by embankments and so gradually lost its importance to Greetsiel, the future seat of the Cirksena. The monastery in Appingen was the only branch of the Carmelites in East Frisia and the last to be founded in the region overall. The founder and benefactor of the monastery was Enno Cirksena, the father of the later imperial count, Ulrich Cirksena. Not much is known about the history of the monastery. In addition to the existing church, a stone house for the monks and a mill were built, for which the Cirksena also had rights of use. Initially it was established for just three or four priests, but in later times was considerably extended. In its heyday at least 20 monks lived in the abbey.

Shortly before the Reformation, the monastery of Aten, in the present-day borough of Nordenham
Nordenham
Nordenham is a town in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located at the mouth of the Weser river on the Butjadingen peninsula on the coast of the North Sea. The seaport city of Bremerhaven is located on the other side of the river...

, was planted by Appingen. In 1530, the monastery of Balthasar von Esen was burned in one of his many feuds with the counts of East Frisia, but not completely destroyed like nearby Dykhusen Abbey of the Dominican Order. The monastery was re-established and adopted in 1531 by the nuns of Dykhusen. In the subsequent period, the monastery was secularized and leased from 1545 by the counts of East Frisia.

Of the former village and Appingen and its abbey, only a farm belonging to Visquard remains today.
Appingen Abbey is a former Carmelite monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the parish of Greetsiel
Greetsiel
Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in Pewsum...

, which is dedicated to Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

. It was named after the village of the same name.

History

The monastery was founded in 1437 by the chieftain family of Cirksena
Cirksena
The Cirksena are noble East Frisian family descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel.- The Cirksena in East Frisia :In 1439 in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Emden was first placed by Hamburg under direct rule and then, in 1453, finally...

. They gave the old parish church of Appingen to the Carmelite order. Originally the family came from this place, but left after the town was cut off from the sea by embankments and so gradually lost its importance to Greetsiel, the future seat of the Cirksena. The monastery in Appingen was the only branch of the Carmelites in East Frisia and the last to be founded in the region overall. The founder and benefactor of the monastery was Enno Cirksena, the father of the later imperial count, Ulrich Cirksena. Not much is known about the history of the monastery. In addition to the existing church, a stone house for the monks and a mill were built, for which the Cirksena also had rights of use. Initially it was established for just three or four priests, but in later times was considerably extended. In its heyday at least 20 monks lived in the abbey.

Shortly before the Reformation, the monastery of Aten, in the present-day borough of Nordenham
Nordenham
Nordenham is a town in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located at the mouth of the Weser river on the Butjadingen peninsula on the coast of the North Sea. The seaport city of Bremerhaven is located on the other side of the river...

, was planted by Appingen. In 1530, the monastery of Balthasar von Esen was burned in one of his many feuds with the counts of East Frisia, but not completely destroyed like nearby Dykhusen Abbey of the Dominican Order. The monastery was re-established and adopted in 1531 by the nuns of Dykhusen. In the subsequent period, the monastery was secularized and leased from 1545 by the counts of East Frisia.

Of the former village and Appingen and its abbey, only a farm belonging to Visquard remains today.
Appingen Abbey is a former Carmelite monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the parish of Greetsiel
Greetsiel
Greetsiel is a small port on the bight of Leybucht in western East Frisia, Germany that was first documented in letters from the year 1388. Since 1972, Greetsiel has been part of the municipality of Krummhörn, which has its administrative seat in Pewsum...

, which is dedicated to Saint Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

. It was named after the village of the same name.

History

The monastery was founded in 1437 by the chieftain family of Cirksena
Cirksena
The Cirksena are noble East Frisian family descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel.- The Cirksena in East Frisia :In 1439 in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Emden was first placed by Hamburg under direct rule and then, in 1453, finally...

. They gave the old parish church of Appingen to the Carmelite order. Originally the family came from this place, but left after the town was cut off from the sea by embankments and so gradually lost its importance to Greetsiel, the future seat of the Cirksena. The monastery in Appingen was the only branch of the Carmelites in East Frisia and the last to be founded in the region overall. The founder and benefactor of the monastery was Enno Cirksena, the father of the later imperial count, Ulrich Cirksena. Not much is known about the history of the monastery. In addition to the existing church, a stone house for the monks and a mill were built, for which the Cirksena also had rights of use. Initially it was established for just three or four priests, but in later times was considerably extended. In its heyday at least 20 monks lived in the abbey.

Shortly before the Reformation, the monastery of Aten, in the present-day borough of Nordenham
Nordenham
Nordenham is a town in the Wesermarsch district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located at the mouth of the Weser river on the Butjadingen peninsula on the coast of the North Sea. The seaport city of Bremerhaven is located on the other side of the river...

, was planted by Appingen. In 1530, the monastery of Balthasar von Esen was burned in one of his many feuds with the counts of East Frisia, but not completely destroyed like nearby Dykhusen Abbey of the Dominican Order. The monastery was re-established and adopted in 1531 by the nuns of Dykhusen. In the subsequent period, the monastery was secularized and leased from 1545 by the counts of East Frisia.

Of the former village and Appingen and its abbey, only a farm belonging to Visquard remains today.
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