Peterlingen Priory
Encyclopedia
Payerne Priory was a Cluniac monastery at Payerne
, in Lausanne
, Switzerland
. The monastery is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
.
royal family and especially by Queen Bertha of Burgundy
. In 965, the Empress Adelaide placed the priory under Cluny Abbey
.
In the first half of the 12th Century, the monks falsified a number of documents as "Testament of Queen Bertha". With the fake documents they appropriated a number rights that they were not entitled to exercise.
The priory was first directly managed by the two abbots from Cluny, Odilo and Maiolus, both of whom lived several times in Payerne. Starting in 1050, Cluny pulled back slightly from directly administering the priory, and the local prior
led the monastery with increasing independence. The monks tried, based on the forged documents to gain the freedom to choose their own priors. Although this project failed, they loosened their ties to Cluny Abbey.
The reforming Cluniac, Saint Ulrich of Zell
, was prior here in the later 11th century.
From the end of the 13th Century, the monastery was in conflict with the city. While the city formally recognized the sovereignty of the prior after the receipt of the town charter in 1348, in fact, he possessed no real power.
Beginning in 1444, the antipope
Felix V raised the priory to an abbey
. However, this new status was only recognized at the local level and not by their religious superiors or the Roman Curia
. This elevation brought no benefits to the monastery. Starting in 1445, it was administered by the Commandry
Abbot, who was under the vicar general
of Payerne. In 1512 it was brought under the dean of the monastery of Sainte-Chapelle in Chambéry
.
The monastery was under the protection of the kings of Burgundy and the Holy Roman Emperor
, but the Abbot of Cluny retained the right to choose the kastvogt
or ecclesiastical bailiff
. The office of kastvogt was first held by the Counts of Burgundy, whose last representative, William IV, was murdered in 1127 in Payerne. After that, it was held by the Zähringers in the early 12th Century, followed by the Montagny family, then the Savoy
s starting in 1240 and after 1282 by the emperor. In 1314 the office of the kastvogt went again to the Savoy family who held the office until the Protestant Reformation
. After the reformation, the bailiff was appointed by the Canton of Vaud and a local governor.
The Reformation and the weakening of Savoy power, led to the dissolution of the monastery. The nearby cities of Bern and Fribourg
began to exercise influence in Payerne and on the priory. The protestant Bern supported a small community of Reformed citizens, while the catholic Fribourg declared itself the guardian of the monastery. After the Bernese conquest of Vaud, Bern won the upper hand. In 1536 they dissolved the priory and acquired the building of the monastery as well as a portion of its rights and property. Fribourg took in the monks and other catholic believers from Payerne. At the priory, some of the buildings were demolished, the remainder put to various secular uses: a bell foundry in the 17th century, a grain store in the 18th and later as a prison and barracks.
At the end of the 19th Century it was placed under protection because of its exceptional cultural value. At the beginning of the 20th Century restoration began on the buildings and in 1926 a preservation society was founded to support this work.
was added around 1070-80.
Later, the church received four turrets and a ring of gable
s around the Gothic
bell tower. The interior of the church was decorated with paintings around the entrance in 1200, and to the choir
by 1454. Several of the columns are decorated with roman capitals
.
When convent buildings became the seat of the Bernese bailiff in the 16th Century, they were converted and renovated on a large scale. Again in the 19th Century, they were converted when the buildings were used by the school administration.
Payerne
Payerne is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was the seat of the district of Payerne, and is now part of the district of Broye-Vully....
, in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The monastery is a Swiss heritage site of national significance
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance
The Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance is a register of some 8,300 items of cultural property in Switzerland...
.
History
It was founded between 950 and 960 by the BurgundyKingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
royal family and especially by Queen Bertha of Burgundy
Bertha of Burgundy
Bertha of Burgundy was the daughter of Conrad the Peaceful, King of Burgundy and his wife Matilda, daughter of Louis IV, King of France and Gerberga of Saxony. She was named for her father's mother, Bertha of Swabia.She first married Odo I, Count of Blois in about 983...
. In 965, the Empress Adelaide placed the priory under Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
.
In the first half of the 12th Century, the monks falsified a number of documents as "Testament of Queen Bertha". With the fake documents they appropriated a number rights that they were not entitled to exercise.
The priory was first directly managed by the two abbots from Cluny, Odilo and Maiolus, both of whom lived several times in Payerne. Starting in 1050, Cluny pulled back slightly from directly administering the priory, and the local prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
led the monastery with increasing independence. The monks tried, based on the forged documents to gain the freedom to choose their own priors. Although this project failed, they loosened their ties to Cluny Abbey.
The reforming Cluniac, Saint Ulrich of Zell
Ulrich of Zell
Saint Ulrich of Zell, also known as Wulderic, sometimes of Cluny or of Regensburg , was a Cluniac reformer of Germany, abbot, founder and saint.-Life:...
, was prior here in the later 11th century.
From the end of the 13th Century, the monastery was in conflict with the city. While the city formally recognized the sovereignty of the prior after the receipt of the town charter in 1348, in fact, he possessed no real power.
Beginning in 1444, the antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
Felix V raised the priory to an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
. However, this new status was only recognized at the local level and not by their religious superiors or the Roman Curia
Diocesan chancery
A diocesan chancery is the branch of administration which handles all written documents used in the official government of a Roman Catholic or Anglican diocese....
. This elevation brought no benefits to the monastery. Starting in 1445, it was administered by the Commandry
Commandry (feudalism)
Commandry , or commandery , was the smallest division of the European landed estate or manor under the control of a commendator, or commander, of an order of knights...
Abbot, who was under the vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of Payerne. In 1512 it was brought under the dean of the monastery of Sainte-Chapelle in Chambéry
Chambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
.
The monastery was under the protection of the kings of Burgundy and the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, but the Abbot of Cluny retained the right to choose the kastvogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
or ecclesiastical bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
. The office of kastvogt was first held by the Counts of Burgundy, whose last representative, William IV, was murdered in 1127 in Payerne. After that, it was held by the Zähringers in the early 12th Century, followed by the Montagny family, then the Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
s starting in 1240 and after 1282 by the emperor. In 1314 the office of the kastvogt went again to the Savoy family who held the office until 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...
. After the reformation, the bailiff was appointed by the Canton of Vaud and a local governor.
The Reformation and the weakening of Savoy power, led to the dissolution of the monastery. The nearby cities of Bern and Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
began to exercise influence in Payerne and on the priory. The protestant Bern supported a small community of Reformed citizens, while the catholic Fribourg declared itself the guardian of the monastery. After the Bernese conquest of Vaud, Bern won the upper hand. In 1536 they dissolved the priory and acquired the building of the monastery as well as a portion of its rights and property. Fribourg took in the monks and other catholic believers from Payerne. At the priory, some of the buildings were demolished, the remainder put to various secular uses: a bell foundry in the 17th century, a grain store in the 18th and later as a prison and barracks.
At the end of the 19th Century it was placed under protection because of its exceptional cultural value. At the beginning of the 20th Century restoration began on the buildings and in 1926 a preservation society was founded to support this work.
Priory buildings
Archaeological excavations have led to new insights into the first church, which was built in the 10th Century. In 960 it was expanded following the model of the Church of Cluny and the entrance hall was extended. A second building phase began in the middle of the 11th Century, which brought the church to approximately its current appearance. A new naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was added around 1070-80.
Later, the church received four turrets and a ring of gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s around 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....
bell tower. The interior of the church was decorated with paintings around the entrance in 1200, and to the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
by 1454. Several of the columns are decorated with roman capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
.
When convent buildings became the seat of the Bernese bailiff in the 16th Century, they were converted and renovated on a large scale. Again in the 19th Century, they were converted when the buildings were used by the school administration.