Remiremont Abbey
Encyclopedia
Remiremont Abbey was a Benedictine
abbey
near Remiremont
, Vosges
, France
.
, a lord at the court of Chlothar II, who, having been converted by Saint Ame
, a monk of Luxeuil
, took the habit at Luxeuil. It comprised a monastery of monks, among whose abbots were Saint Ame
(570–625), Saint Romaric (580–653) and Saint Adelphus (died 670), and a monastery of nuns, which numbered among its abbesses Saints Mactefelda (died ca 622), Claire (died ca 652) and Gébétrude (died ca 673). Bishop Arnulf of Metz
, progenitor of the Arnulfing and Carolingian dynasty, died in the vicinity, probably in the year 640, and was buried in the monastery until his remains were later translated to Metz Cathedral
.
At a later period the Benedictine nuns were replaced by a chapter of 98 canonesses who had to prove 200 years of nobility. In 910 the nuns, menaced by the invasion of the Hungarians, took refuge at Remiremont, which had grown up round a villa of the Frankish kings
, with a monastery
also being founded in the locale; in the 11th century they permanently settled there. Enriched by dukes of Lorraine, kings of France and emperors of Germany, the ladies of Remiremont attained great power. The abbess was a princess of the empire, and received consecration at the hands of the pope. The 50 canonesses were selected from those who could give proof of noble descent. On Whit Monday
the neighboring parishes paid homage to the chapter in a ceremony called the Kyriolés (canticle
s in the vernacular
); and on their accession the dukes of Lorraine, de facto
immediate suzerains
of the abbey, had to come to Remiremont to swear to continue their protection.
The War of the Escutcheons (: displays of coats of arms
) in 1566 between the duke and the abbess ended in favor of the duke; and the abbess never recovered her former position. In order to demonstrate their Imperial immediacy and their independence from the dukes of Lorraine, the sisters of the abbey mounted escutcheon
s around the town displaying the Imperial eagle
. Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
, took advantage of the absence of Emperor Maximilian II
, away campaigning in Hungary, to remove the escutcheons by force and establish his de facto sovereignty.
In the 17th century the ladies of Remiremont fell away so much from the original monastic rule as to take the title of countesses, renounce their vows and marry.
Catherine de Lorraine
was abbess; it was to be given to her niece Marguerite
but she married Gaston, Duke of Orléans
; the couple's second daughter, Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans, was titular abbess as was Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Lorraine
. Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine
was also abbess. Maria Christina of Saxony
, sister to the Dauphine Marie Josèphe, was abbess after Anne Charlotte.
Anne Charlotte de Lorraine
, an aunt of Marie Antoinette
, was an abbess. The last abbess, under the Ancien Régime, was Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon
, the daughter of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé; she was prioress of the Monastery of the Temple at her death in 1824.
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...
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,...
near Remiremont
Remiremont
Remiremont is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Inhabitants are called Romarimontains.-Geography:Remiremont is located on the Moselle, close to its confluence with the Moselotte, southeast of Épinal...
, Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
, France
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...
.
History
It was founded about 620 by RomaricRomaric
Saint Romaric was a Frankish nobleman who lived in Austrasia from the late 6th century until the middle of the 7th century. He was a former Count Palatine in the court of the Merovingian king, Theodebert II. His parents were killed by Queen Brunhilda and because of the enmity of his family with...
, a lord at the court of Chlothar II, who, having been converted by Saint Ame
Saint Ame
Saint Amatus, also called Saint Ame, was a Benedictine monk.Saint Amatus was a Benedictine abbot and hermit. He was born to a noble family in Grenoble, France, and was put in the Maurice Abbey as a child. After becoming a Benedictine monk, he became a hermit.He went to Luxeuil in 614...
, a monk of Luxeuil
Luxeuil Abbey
Luxeuil Abbey was one of the oldest and best-known monasteries in Burgundy, located in the "département" of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, France.-Columbanus:...
, took the habit at Luxeuil. It comprised a monastery of monks, among whose abbots were Saint Ame
Saint Ame
Saint Amatus, also called Saint Ame, was a Benedictine monk.Saint Amatus was a Benedictine abbot and hermit. He was born to a noble family in Grenoble, France, and was put in the Maurice Abbey as a child. After becoming a Benedictine monk, he became a hermit.He went to Luxeuil in 614...
(570–625), Saint Romaric (580–653) and Saint Adelphus (died 670), and a monastery of nuns, which numbered among its abbesses Saints Mactefelda (died ca 622), Claire (died ca 652) and Gébétrude (died ca 673). Bishop Arnulf of Metz
Arnulf of Metz
Saint Arnulf of Metz was a Frankish bishop of Metz and advisor to the Merovingian court of Austrasia, who retired to the Abbey of Remiremont....
, progenitor of the Arnulfing and Carolingian dynasty, died in the vicinity, probably in the year 640, and was buried in the monastery until his remains were later translated to Metz Cathedral
Metz Cathedral
Saint Étienne de Metz , also known as Metz Cathedral) is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral in the city of Metz, capital of Lorraine, France...
.
At a later period the Benedictine nuns were replaced by a chapter of 98 canonesses who had to prove 200 years of nobility. In 910 the nuns, menaced by the invasion of the Hungarians, took refuge at Remiremont, which had grown up round a villa of the Frankish kings
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, with a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
also being founded in the locale; in the 11th century they permanently settled there. Enriched by dukes of Lorraine, kings of France and emperors of Germany, the ladies of Remiremont attained great power. The abbess was a princess of the empire, and received consecration at the hands of the pope. The 50 canonesses were selected from those who could give proof of noble descent. On Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
the neighboring parishes paid homage to the chapter in a ceremony called the Kyriolés (canticle
Canticle
A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...
s in the vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
); and on their accession the dukes of Lorraine, de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
immediate suzerains
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the abbey, had to come to Remiremont to swear to continue their protection.
The War of the Escutcheons (: displays of coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
) in 1566 between the duke and the abbess ended in favor of the duke; and the abbess never recovered her former position. In order to demonstrate their Imperial immediacy and their independence from the dukes of Lorraine, the sisters of the abbey mounted escutcheon
Escutcheon
In heraldry, an escutcheon is a shield which forms the main or focal element in an achievement of arms. The word is used in two related senses....
s around the town displaying the Imperial eagle
Armorial of the Holy Roman Empire
Over its long history, the Holy Roman Empire used many different heraldic forms, representing its numerous internal divisions.- Holy Roman Emperors:...
. Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine
Charles III , known as the Great, was Duke of Lorraine from 1545 until his death.-History:He was the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, and Christina of Denmark...
, took advantage of the absence of Emperor Maximilian II
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
, away campaigning in Hungary, to remove the escutcheons by force and establish his de facto sovereignty.
In the 17th century the ladies of Remiremont fell away so much from the original monastic rule as to take the title of countesses, renounce their vows and marry.
Catherine de Lorraine
Catherine de Lorraine
Catherine de Lorraine was a Princess of Lorraine and later on, the Abbess of Remiremont. She died unmarried in 1648 aged 74.-Biography:...
was abbess; it was to be given to her niece Marguerite
Marguerite of Lorraine
Marguerite of Lorraine was a duchess of Orléans and Alençon. She was born in Nancy, Lorraine to Francis II, Duke of Lorraine, and Countess Christina of Salm. On 31 January 1632, she married Gaston, Duke of Orléans, son of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici...
but she married Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
; the couple's second daughter, Élisabeth Marguerite d'Orléans, was titular abbess as was Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Lorraine
Princess Élisabeth Charlotte of Lorraine
Élisabeth Charlotte of Lorraine was a princess of Lorraine. She died of Smallpox aged 10...
. Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine
Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine
Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Abbess of Remiremont. She was a member of the household of Le Grand Dauphin and was the supposed wife of her cousin the Chevalier de Lorraine...
was also abbess. Maria Christina of Saxony
Princess Maria Christina of Saxony (1735–1782)
Maria Christina of Saxony was a Princess of Saxony and later Abbess of Remiremont.-Family:...
, sister to the Dauphine Marie Josèphe, was abbess after Anne Charlotte.
Anne Charlotte de Lorraine
Princess Anne Charlotte of Lorraine
Anne Charlotte of Lorraine was the Abbess of Remiremont, Mons and Essen. She was the youngest daughter and the youngest of thirteen children of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, and his spouse Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans...
, an aunt of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
, was an abbess. The last abbess, under the Ancien Régime, was Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon
Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon (1757–1824)
Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon was a French nun. She was the last Remiremont abbess and founded at the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration a religious community that became famous among French Catholics under the name of Bénédictines de la rue Monsieur...
, the daughter of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé; she was prioress of the Monastery of the Temple at her death in 1824.