Lindau Abbey
Encyclopedia
Lindau Abbey was a house of secular canonesses in Lindau
on the Bodensee in Bavaria
, Germany
, which stands on an island in the lake.
in about 822. The town of Lindau grew round the foundation.
The abbey was granted Imperial immediacy in 1466.
During the Protestant Reformation
the abbey of Lindau and its possessions on the mainland were the only places in this region to remain Catholic.
The community was dissolved in 1802 in the course of the secularisation
of Bavaria, and its assets taken over by the Austria
n Princes of Bretzenstein, who in 1804 exchanged Lindau for estates in Bohemia
and Hungary
. In 1806 the territory returned to Bavaria.
The residential and service buildings were used for local government offices.
The canonesses' church became the present Roman Catholic minster-church of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the market place in the Old Town of Lindau. The church building originated at the same time as the religious community, that is, in the early 9th century. After the fire of 1728 that destroyed most of the town the church was rebuilt in Baroque
style by the master builder Giovanni Gaspare Bagnato, who also built Schloss Mainau
and the "New Castle" at Meersburg
. The interior has Baroque ceiling paintings and Rococo
decorations.
Friars Minor or Minorites (founded 1224, dissolved 1528) and also a house of female Minorite Tertiaries
(founded before 1238), which survived the Reformation
by becoming Protestant and was secularised at the same time as Lindau Abbey. The church of the Minorites is still in existence as the Lindauer Stadttheater ("Lindau Town Theatre") but the buildings of the Tertiaries were demolished in 1861.
for girls within the educational programme of the Diocese of Augsburg.
Lindau
Lindau is a Bavarian town and an island on the eastern side of Lake Constance, the Bodensee. It is the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau. The historic city of Lindau is located on an island which is connected with the mainland by bridge and railway.- History :The name Lindau was...
on the Bodensee 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...
, which stands on an island in the lake.
History
The community, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is traditionally held to have been founded by Count Adelbert of RaetiaRaetia
Raetia was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It was bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the north by Vindelicia, on the west by Cisalpine Gaul and on south by Venetia et Histria...
in about 822. The town of Lindau grew round the foundation.
The abbey was granted Imperial immediacy in 1466.
During the Protestant 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...
the abbey of Lindau and its possessions on the mainland were the only places in this region to remain Catholic.
The community was dissolved in 1802 in the course of the secularisation
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....
of Bavaria, and its assets taken over by the 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...
n Princes of Bretzenstein, who in 1804 exchanged Lindau for estates in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. In 1806 the territory returned to Bavaria.
The residential and service buildings were used for local government offices.
The canonesses' church became the present Roman Catholic minster-church of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the market place in the Old Town of Lindau. The church building originated at the same time as the religious community, that is, in the early 9th century. After the fire of 1728 that destroyed most of the town the church was rebuilt in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style by the master builder Giovanni Gaspare Bagnato, who also built Schloss Mainau
Mainau
Mainau is an island in Lake Constance . It is maintained as a garden island and a model of excellent environmental practices...
and the "New Castle" at Meersburg
Meersburg
Meersburg is a town of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany at Lake Constance.It is famous for its charming medieval city. The lower town and upper town are reserved for pedestrians only and connected by two stairways and a steep street .-History:The name of the town means "Burg on the...
. The interior has Baroque ceiling paintings and Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
decorations.
Franciscans
There was a monastery here of the FranciscanFranciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Friars Minor or Minorites (founded 1224, dissolved 1528) and also a house of female Minorite Tertiaries
Tertiaries
Tertiaries may mean either:* associations of lay Christians connected with the mendicant and other religious Orders, i.e. Third orders* a bird's hand i.e. remiges....
(founded before 1238), which 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...
by becoming Protestant and was secularised at the same time as Lindau Abbey. The church of the Minorites is still in existence as the Lindauer Stadttheater ("Lindau Town Theatre") but the buildings of the Tertiaries were demolished in 1861.
Beguines; English Sisters
These premises were sometimes known as the Kloster am Steg ("monastery on the jetty"). There was also a house of the Beguines, founded in 1268. On 15 May 1525 it was dissolved and sold off. The buildings were bought in 1857 by the English Sisters (Englische Fräulein), who founded here a "Private Higher School for Daughters" (Private Höhere Töchterschule). Of its successor establishments, the Insel-Institut was wound up in 1991, but the Maria-Ward-Realschule continues as a RealschuleRealschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
for girls within the educational programme of the Diocese of Augsburg.