Petershausen Abbey
Encyclopedia
Petershausen Abbey was a Benedictine
monastery at Petershausen, now a district of Konstanz
in Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
.
abbey named after Saint Peter
in 983 by Bishop Gebhard of Constance
, located on the northern shore of the Rhine river opposite to the episcopal residence at Constance
with its cathedral. Gebhard dedicated the monastery church to Pope Gregory the Great
and settled the abbey with monks descending from Einsiedeln
.
Under Bishop Gebhard III of Zähringen
and Abbot Theodoric (1086–1116), the Hirsau Reforms
were introduced. In 1097 a filial monastery was established at Mehrerau
near Bregenz
. As Petershausen sided with the papacy in the Investiture Controversy
, Gebhard III in 1103 was deposed at the instigation of Emperor Henry IV
. The abbey was closed until 1106, the monks fled to the newly established Kastl Abbey
in Bavaria
. In 1159 the monastery burnt down, and was rebuilt and extended between 1162 and 1180. Facing the claims of Swabia
n nobles like the Counts of Montfort, the abbots became supporters of the Imperial Hohenstaufen dynasty. Under Emperor Frederick II
(1220–50), Petershausen became reichsfrei, gaining territorial independence.
During the Council of Constance
(1414–18), the German king Sigismund of Luxembourg
stayed at the abbey and the Petershausen abbot even gained the pontifical vestments
from Antipope John XXIII
. Nevertheless the monastery declined during the 14th and 15th centuries, pressed hard by Konstanz claiming the status of an Imperial city
, as well as by the diocese. The attempts of Prince-Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg
to incorporate Petershausen were blocked by Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg
. The abbey was charged by the Konstanz citizens during the Protestant Reformation
and the brothers were expelled. It was again ravaged by Imperial troops during the Schmalkaldic War
, after which the City of Konstanz in 1548 was incorporated into the Habsburg possessions of Further Austria
. The monks did not return until 1556.
Petershausen was finally secularised
to Baden
in 1802; the library was bought by the University Library Heidelberg
. Margrave Charles Frederick of Baden had parts of the abbey rebuilt as a private residence for his sons. The St Gregory Church was demolished in 1832. The remaining premises were later used as a psychiatric hospital and as barracks. They now accommodate a number of administrative and educational functions and the Archaeological Museum of Baden-Württemberg.
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
monastery at Petershausen, now a district of Konstanz
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, 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...
.
History
It was founded as an exemptExemption (church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, exemption is the whole or partial release of an ecclesiastical person, corporation, or institution from the authority of the ecclesiastical superior next higher in rank....
abbey named after Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
in 983 by Bishop Gebhard of Constance
Gebhard of Constance
Saint Gebhard was a bishop of Constance from 979 until 995. He founded the Benedictine abbey of Petershausen in 983.-External links:*...
, located on the northern shore of the Rhine river opposite to the episcopal residence at Constance
Bishopric of Constance
The Bishopric of Constance was a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and ecclesiastical state of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from about 585 until 1821. Its seat was Konstanz at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany...
with its cathedral. Gebhard dedicated the monastery church to Pope Gregory the Great
Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
and settled the abbey with monks descending from Einsiedeln
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, from which the name Einsiedeln is also said to have originated...
.
Under Bishop Gebhard III of Zähringen
Gebhard (III) of Constance
Gebhard III was Bishop of Constance and defender of papal rights against imperial encroachments during the Investiture Controversy.He was a son of Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia, and a brother of Berthold II, Duke of Swabia...
and Abbot Theodoric (1086–1116), the Hirsau Reforms
William of Hirsau
William of Hirsau was a Benedictine abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of Hirsau Abbey, for whom he created the Constitutiones Hirsaugienses, based on the uses of Cluny, and was the father of the Hirsau Reforms, which influenced many Benedictine monasteries in Germany...
were introduced. In 1097 a filial monastery was established at Mehrerau
Wettingen-Mehrerau Abbey
Wettingen-Mehrerau Territorial Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located at Mehrerau on the outskirts of Bregenz in Vorarlberg, Austria...
near Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
. As Petershausen sided with the papacy in the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
, Gebhard III in 1103 was deposed at the instigation of Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. The abbey was closed until 1106, the monks fled to the newly established Kastl Abbey
Kastl Abbey
Kastl Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Kastl in the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria.-History:The monastery, dedicated to Saint Peter, was founded in 1103, or shortly before, by Count Berengar I of Sulzbach together with Frederick and Otto, Counts of Kastl-Habsberg.It was dissolved in 1563 in...
in Bavaria
History of Bavaria
The history of Bavaria stretches from its earliest settlement and its formation as a stem duchy in the 6th century through its inclusion in the Holy Roman Empires to its status as an independent kingdom and, finally, as a large and significant Bundesland of the modern Federal Republic of...
. In 1159 the monastery burnt down, and was rebuilt and extended between 1162 and 1180. Facing the claims of Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n nobles like the Counts of Montfort, the abbots became supporters of the Imperial Hohenstaufen dynasty. Under Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
(1220–50), Petershausen became reichsfrei, gaining territorial independence.
During the Council of Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
(1414–18), the German king Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
stayed at the abbey and the Petershausen abbot even gained the pontifical vestments
Pontifical vestments
Pontifical vestments, also referred to as episcopal vestments or pontificals, are the liturgical vestments worn by bishops in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, in addition to the usual priestly vestments for the celebration of the Mass...
from Antipope John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
. Nevertheless the monastery declined during the 14th and 15th centuries, pressed hard by Konstanz claiming the status of an Imperial city
Free Imperial City
In the Holy Roman Empire, a free imperial city was a city formally ruled by the emperor only — as opposed to the majority of cities in the Empire, which were governed by one of the many princes of the Empire, such as dukes or prince-bishops...
, as well as by the diocese. The attempts of Prince-Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg
Hugo von Hohenlandenberg
Hugo von Hohenlandenberg was Bishop of Konstanz from 1496 to 1529, and again in 1530 and 1531 until his death in 1532.-Biography:...
to incorporate Petershausen were blocked by Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
. The abbey was charged by the Konstanz citizens 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...
and the brothers were expelled. It was again ravaged by Imperial troops during the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
, after which the City of Konstanz in 1548 was incorporated into the Habsburg possessions of Further Austria
Further Austria
Further Austria or Anterior Austria was the collective name for the old possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-western Germany, including territories in the Alsace region west of the Rhine and in Vorarlberg, after the focus of the Habsburgs had moved to the...
. The monks did not return until 1556.
Petershausen was finally 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....
to Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
in 1802; the library was bought by the University Library Heidelberg
University Library Heidelberg
The University Library Heidelberg is the central library of the University of Heidelberg. It constitutes together with the 83 decentralized libraries of the faculties and institutes the University Library System, which is headed by the director of the University Library...
. Margrave Charles Frederick of Baden had parts of the abbey rebuilt as a private residence for his sons. The St Gregory Church was demolished in 1832. The remaining premises were later used as a psychiatric hospital and as barracks. They now accommodate a number of administrative and educational functions and the Archaeological Museum of Baden-Württemberg.