Marmoutier Abbey (Alsace)
Encyclopedia
Marmoutier Abbey, otherwise Maursmünster Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Marmoutier
in Alsace
.
(d. here in about 680) in 659, was a community of Irish
monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus. Then known as Aquileia
, after the town in Italy, it was one of the Merovingian abbeys and a Reichsabtei.
In 728 century Saint Pirmin
reformed the Columban monasteries in Alsace, including this one, introducing to them the Rule of St. Benedict. The first abbot under the new rule was Maurus, from whom the place took the name of Maursmünster in German
, of which Marmoutier is the French
version.
After a couple of centuries of restriction and loss of income, the abbey, under Abbot Meinhard and his successors in the 12th century, entered on a long period of growth and prosperity, including the consolidation of the large territory. In the 12th century the abbey church of St. Stephen's
was built, which still stands today as an imposing Romanesque
church. The west end, with its three massive towers, is especially striking.
In the 13th and 14th centuries the abbey began to decline, becoming involved in long wrangles over its properties, mostly with the family of Geroldseck, lords of the town of Maursmünster, now Marmoutier, that had grown up round the abbey. The abbey was also badly damaged during the German Peasants' War
in 1525, when a mob ransacked the building and destroyed the library, and again in the Thirty Years' War
, when it suffered an invasion of Swedish
soldiers in 1621. Under the Peace of Westphalia
at the end of the war (1648), Alsace was transferred to France.
The latter part of the 17th century saw a revival of the abbey's fortunes, and in the 18th century, particularly under abbots Anselm Moser and Placid Schweighäuser, re-building was undertaken, including the quire
of the church in the 1760s. However, the French Revolution
saw the dissolution of the monastery and the demolition or sale of all its buildings.
The church survives as the parish church, and other monastic buildings now serve as the presbytery and the mairie. The church is located on the Route Romane d'Alsace
.
Marmoutier
Marmoutier is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church still serves as the parish church. It is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Alsace in north-eastern France.-History:In 590 St...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
.
History
The first foundation here, either in the late 6th century, or by Saint LeobardLéobard
Léobard is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France....
(d. here in about 680) in 659, was a community of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus. Then known as Aquileia
Aquileia
Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in what is now Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about 10 km from the sea, on the river Natiso , the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times...
, after the town in Italy, it was one of the Merovingian abbeys and a Reichsabtei.
In 728 century Saint Pirmin
Saint Pirmin
Saint Pirmin , also named Pirminius, was a monk, strongly influenced by Celtic Christianity and Saint Amand.-Biography:...
reformed the Columban monasteries in Alsace, including this one, introducing to them the Rule of St. Benedict. The first abbot under the new rule was Maurus, from whom the place took the name of Maursmünster in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, of which Marmoutier is the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
version.
After a couple of centuries of restriction and loss of income, the abbey, under Abbot Meinhard and his successors in the 12th century, entered on a long period of growth and prosperity, including the consolidation of the large territory. In the 12th century the abbey church of St. Stephen's
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
was built, which still stands today as an imposing Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church. The west end, with its three massive towers, is especially striking.
In the 13th and 14th centuries the abbey began to decline, becoming involved in long wrangles over its properties, mostly with the family of Geroldseck, lords of the town of Maursmünster, now Marmoutier, that had grown up round the abbey. The abbey was also badly damaged during the German 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...
in 1525, when a mob ransacked the building and destroyed the library, and again in 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....
, when it suffered an invasion of Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
soldiers in 1621. Under 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...
at the end of the war (1648), Alsace was transferred to France.
The latter part of the 17th century saw a revival of the abbey's fortunes, and in the 18th century, particularly under abbots Anselm Moser and Placid Schweighäuser, re-building was undertaken, including the quire
Quire (architecture)
Architecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...
of the church in the 1760s. However, the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
saw the dissolution of the monastery and the demolition or sale of all its buildings.
The church survives as the parish church, and other monastic buildings now serve as the presbytery and the mairie. The church is located on the Route Romane d'Alsace
Route Romane d'Alsace
The Route Romane d'Alsace is a touristic itinerary designed by the Association Voix et Route Romane to link both the well-known and the more secret examples of Romanesque architecture of Alsace, in an itinerary of 19 stages, linking churches, abbeys and fortresses, that range from the first...
.