Lamspringe Abbey
Encyclopedia
Lamspringe Abbey is a former religious house of the English Benedictines
in exile, at Lamspringe
near Hildesheim
in Germany
.
is conventionally dated at 847. This Augustinian nunnery became Lutheran during the Reformation
and was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
in 1626.
monks in exile approached the Bursfelde Congregation
with a request for premises and in 1630 were granted the derelict buildings at Lamspringe, although they were unable to take possession and begin work on the monastery until the early 1640s, after the end of the Thirty Years' War. The English Benedictines rebuilt the abbey, dedicated to Saints Adrian
and Denis
, and from 1671 ran a school here for English Catholic boys, mostly from Yorkshire and the north, which became a centre for Catholic education for, and influence on, Great Britain.
Unlike the other English monasteries in exile Lamspringe was a large abbey rather than a small priory, and was wealthy, with wide estates, and the community's wealth and status were reflected in the quality of the building works undertaken. The abbey church, serious work on which began in 1691 under abbot Maurus Corker
, and the remaining monastery buildings, executed in rather grand style by abbot Joseph Rokeby up to 1731, still remain virtually intact.
Lamspringe Abbey housed the relics of Saint Oliver Plunkett
, taken there in 1684 by the later abbot of Lamspringe, Corker, who had been with him in prison in London
, as well as the head of Saint Thomas of Hereford.
The abbey was secularised
in 1803 by the Kingdom of Prussia
, and the monks returned to England. The library was dispersed; it had contained as its most famous item the St. Albans Psalter
.
The school was transferred to the then newly established Ampleforth Abbey
and formed the basis of the present Ampleforth College
.
The monks, after a period of dispersal, reformed as a community at Broadway
in Worcestershire
between 1828 and 1841, after which they were spread among other houses, although the community was never formally disbanded. The last surviving members joined the abbey at Fort Augustus
(1876-1998) at its foundation.
The abbey garden also survives and is one of the attractions of Lamspringe.
English Benedictine Congregation
The English Benedictine Congregation comprises autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the 21 congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation....
in exile, at Lamspringe
Lamspringe
Lamspringe is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Hildesheim....
near Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
in 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...
.
First foundation
The foundation by Count Ricdag of the first religious house at Lamspringe for canonessesCanonesses
A canoness is a member of a religious community of women living a simple life. Many communities observe the monastic rule of Saint Augustine. The name corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and rules are common to both...
is conventionally dated at 847. This Augustinian nunnery became Lutheran 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...
and was destroyed 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....
in 1626.
Second foundation
In 1628 English BenedictineEnglish Benedictine Congregation
The English Benedictine Congregation comprises autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the 21 congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation....
monks in exile approached the Bursfelde Congregation
Bursfelde Congregation
The Bursfelde Congregation, also called Bursfelde Union, was a union of predominantly west and central German Benedictine monasteries and nunneries working for the reform of Benedictine practice. It was named after Bursfelde Abbey.-Background:...
with a request for premises and in 1630 were granted the derelict buildings at Lamspringe, although they were unable to take possession and begin work on the monastery until the early 1640s, after the end of the Thirty Years' War. The English Benedictines rebuilt the abbey, dedicated to Saints Adrian
Saint Adrian
Saint Adrian may refer to:*Adrian of Nicomedia , Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian*Adrian of Canterbury , scholar and the Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury...
and Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
, and from 1671 ran a school here for English Catholic boys, mostly from Yorkshire and the north, which became a centre for Catholic education for, and influence on, Great Britain.
Unlike the other English monasteries in exile Lamspringe was a large abbey rather than a small priory, and was wealthy, with wide estates, and the community's wealth and status were reflected in the quality of the building works undertaken. The abbey church, serious work on which began in 1691 under abbot Maurus Corker
Maurus Corker
Maurus Corker was an English Benedictine who was accused and imprisoned as part of the Popish Plot.-Life:He was born in Yorkshire. He took the name Maurus when he entered the Benedictine order...
, and the remaining monastery buildings, executed in rather grand style by abbot Joseph Rokeby up to 1731, still remain virtually intact.
Lamspringe Abbey housed the relics of Saint Oliver Plunkett
Oliver Plunkett
Saint Oliver Plunkett was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland....
, taken there in 1684 by the later abbot of Lamspringe, Corker, who had been with him in prison in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, as well as the head of Saint Thomas of Hereford.
The abbey was secularised
German Mediatisation
The German Mediatisation was the series of mediatisations and secularisations that occurred in Germany between 1795 and 1814, during the latter part of the era of the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Era....
in 1803 by the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, and the monks returned to England. The library was dispersed; it had contained as its most famous item the St. Albans Psalter
St. Albans Psalter
The St Albans Psalter, also known as the Albani Psalter or the Psalter of Christina of Markyate, is an English illuminated manuscript, one of several Psalters known to have been created at or for St Albans Abbey in the 12th century...
.
The school was transferred to the then newly established Ampleforth Abbey
Ampleforth Abbey
Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine Monks in North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation. It claims descent from the pre-Reformation community at Westminster Abbey through the last surviving monk from Westminster Sigebert Buckley.The current Abbot is Fr...
and formed the basis of the present Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
.
The monks, after a period of dispersal, reformed as a community at Broadway
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
between 1828 and 1841, after which they were spread among other houses, although the community was never formally disbanded. The last surviving members joined the abbey at Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus
Fort Augustus is a settlement in the Scottish Highlands, at the south west end of Loch Ness. The village has a population of around 646 ; its economy is heavily reliant on tourism....
(1876-1998) at its foundation.
Buildings
The church still serves as the parish church, and the still impressive monastic buildings are put to a variety of parish and community uses.The abbey garden also survives and is one of the attractions of Lamspringe.
Abbots
- Clement Reyner 1645-
- Maurus Corker 1690-95
- Joseph Rokeby 1730-61
- Maurus Heatley 1761-1802
Sources
Lamspringe Municipality official website: History- Douai Magazine No 166 - 2003: article on Lamspringe Abbey
- Cramer, A., OSB (ed.), 2004. Lamspringe: an English Abbey in Germany 1643-1803. Saint Laurence Papers VII, Ampleforth.