Ravengiersburg
Encyclopedia
Ravengiersburg is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district
) in Rhineland-Palatinate
, Germany
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Simmern
, whose seat is in the like-named town
. Ravengiersburg is home to the Hunsrückdom – the “Hunsrück Cathedral” – the former resident canonical foundation’s church.
in the Simmerbach valley, roughly 5 km east of Kirchberg
and 6 km southwest of Simmern. The village’s core gathers tightly around the monastery church. West of Ravengiersburg, the Kauerbach empties into the Simmerbach. The municipal area measures 6.16 km², of which 2.29 km² is wooded.
named Neuhof.
on the steep crags overlooking the Simmerbach. The founding of the Ravengiersburg Augustinian
Canonical Foundation goes back to the year 1074. The monastery was founded on the site of the Salian
castle of the Counts in the Trechirgau
. In the document dealing with land donations to the monastery, the name Hunsruche – Hunsrück – is mentioned for the first time.
In 1410, the monastery and the village passed to the newly created Duchy of Palatinate-Simmern
. The monastery grew up to become the greatest landowner between the Moselle and the Nahe. In 1564, however, when the Reformation
was introduced into the duchy, the monastery was dissolved; several attempts to revive it all failed. In 1631, a definitive end was put to the Ravengiersburg Monastery in the Thirty Years' War
when Swedish
troops came and burnt it down. In 1673, the Electorate of Trier became the landholder. Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine had the church that still stands today built between 1718 and 1722. Beginning in 1794, Ravengiersburg lay under French
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
at the Congress of Vienna
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
of Rhineland-Palatinate
.
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
.
club and HSV 70 (a sport club). Until 2006, the Katholische Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (KAB; “Catholic Employees’ Movement”) ran a great professional training operation in the monastery buildings. Also worth mentioning is the youth meeting centre, which has been running since 1978.
Municipalities of Germany
Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...
belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde
Verbandsgemeinde
A Verbandsgemeinde is an administrative unit in the German Bundesländer of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.-Rhineland-Palatinate:...
, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district
Districts of Germany
The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....
) in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, 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...
. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Simmern
Simmern (Verbandsgemeinde)
Simmern is a Verbandsgemeinde in the Rhein-Hunsrück district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Its seat is in Simmern.The Verbandsgemeinde Simmern consists of the following Ortsgemeinden :...
, whose seat is in the like-named town
Simmern
Simmern is a town of 8,000 inhabitants in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the district seat of the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis, and the seat of the like-named Verbandsgemeinde...
. Ravengiersburg is home to the Hunsrückdom – the “Hunsrück Cathedral” – the former resident canonical foundation’s church.
Location
The municipality lies in the central HunsrückHunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
in the Simmerbach valley, roughly 5 km east of Kirchberg
Kirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück
-History:Archaeological finds make it clear that by 400 BC, the Treveri, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic stock, from whom the Latin name for the city of Trier, Augusta Treverorum, is also derived, had settled here...
and 6 km southwest of Simmern. The village’s core gathers tightly around the monastery church. West of Ravengiersburg, the Kauerbach empties into the Simmerbach. The municipal area measures 6.16 km², of which 2.29 km² is wooded.
Constituent communities
Within Ravengiersburg’s limits is an outlying hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
named Neuhof.
History
In 974, Ravengiersburg had its first documentary mention. The name comes from Count Rabangar, who in his time built a castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
on the steep crags overlooking the Simmerbach. The founding of the Ravengiersburg Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
Canonical Foundation goes back to the year 1074. The monastery was founded on the site of the Salian
Salian dynasty
The Salian dynasty was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages of four German Kings , also known as the Frankish dynasty after the family's origin and role as dukes of Franconia...
castle of the Counts in the Trechirgau
Trechirgau
The Trechirgau was a mediaeval administrative district, a gau. It belonged to the Duchy of Lorraine. Its exact extent is only roughly known and it lay in the triangle formed by Enkirch, Koblenz and Oberwesel.- History :...
. In the document dealing with land donations to the monastery, the name Hunsruche – Hunsrück – is mentioned for the first time.
In 1410, the monastery and the village passed to the newly created Duchy of Palatinate-Simmern
Palatinate-Simmern
Palatinate-Simmern was one of the collateral lines of the Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach.The Palatinate line of the House of Wittelsbach was divided into four lines after the death of Rupert III in 1410, including the line of Palatinate-Simmern with its capital in Simmern. This line...
. The monastery grew up to become the greatest landowner between the Moselle and the Nahe. In 1564, however, when 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...
was introduced into the duchy, the monastery was dissolved; several attempts to revive it all failed. In 1631, a definitive end was put to the Ravengiersburg Monastery 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 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....
troops came and burnt it down. In 1673, the Electorate of Trier became the landholder. Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine had the church that still stands today built between 1718 and 1722. Beginning in 1794, Ravengiersburg lay under French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rule. In 1814 it was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
at the Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. Since 1946, it has been part of the then newly founded state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
.
Municipal council
The council is made up of 8 council members, who were elected by majority votePlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
at the municipal election held on 7 June 2009, and the honorary mayor as chairman.
Buildings
The following are listed buildings or sites in Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
’s Directory of Cultural Monuments:
- Former AugustinianAugustiniansThe term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canonical foundation (Ravengiersburg Monastery; see also below), Hauptstraße (monumental zone) – former foundation church, Saint Christopher’s Church, BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque 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...
aisleless churchAisleless churchAn Aisleless church is a single-nave church building that consists of a single hall-like room. While similar to the hall church, the aisleless church lacks aisles or passageways either side of the nave separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns...
, 1708-1711, RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque 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,...
twin-tower façade, first fourth of the 12th century and first third of the 13th century; Baroque foundation building, extensively renovated in 1921; well hut, 18th century; former rectory, 1706; cross, marked ..43 - EvangelicalEvangelical Church in GermanyThe Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
church, Hauptstraße – Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architectureThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
cruciform aisleless church, 1907/1908 - Hauptstraße 18 – timber-frameTimber framingTimber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
house, early 18th century, on solid basement pedestal, 16th century - Wayside chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, north of the village on Kreisstraße (District Road) 58 – quarrystone building; MaryMary (mother of Jesus)Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, two saints, earlier half of the 17th century
Ravengiersburg Monastery
Foremost among the municipality’s points of interest is the Monastery whose church, the St. Christophorus-Kirche (Saint Christopher’s) has a Romanesque twin-tower façade. This imposing church is also called the Hunsrückdom (“Hunsrück Cathedral”), although it is not actually a cathedralCathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
Clubs
Active clubs include Ravenger e.V. für Brauchstumpflege (for fostering customs), an anglingAngling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
club and HSV 70 (a sport club). Until 2006, the Katholische Arbeitnehmer-Bewegung (KAB; “Catholic Employees’ Movement”) ran a great professional training operation in the monastery buildings. Also worth mentioning is the youth meeting centre, which has been running since 1978.