Sabina von Steinbach
Encyclopedia
Sabina von Steinbach was - according to legend - a female stonemason living in Alsace
(in what is now eastern France
) during the 13th century. She is said to have been the daughter of Erwin von Steinbach
, architect and master builder at Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
, the cathedral in Strasbourg
. When after her father's death her brother Johann continued to build the cathedral tower from 1318 to 1339, Sabina is believed to have been employed as a skilful mason and sculptor in its completion.
The tradition of Sabina as a mason in Strasbourg
, constantly cited, appears to have been first published in 1617 by Schadeus in his description of Strasbourg Cathedral. This understanding may have derrived from the interpretation of a - now lost - Latin inscription on a scroll held by the figure of St. John. It translated: "Thanks to the piety of this woman, Sabina, who has given me form from this hard stone."
Von Steinbach's employment of his daughter Sabina among the Strasbourg stonemasons was not merely an irregularity perpetrated by a provincial lodge, lax in the proper guild observances. Until the capture of the city by France in 1681, the headquarters of the German stonemasons was in Strasbourg (even as late as 1760 the Strasbourg lodge still claimed tribute from the lodges of Germany). Indeed, American historian Albert Mackey
, in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, cites the theory "which places the organization of the Order of Freemasonry at the building of the Cathedral of Strasbourg, in the year 1275."
Some contend that Sabina took over the contract on her father's job at Strasbourg after the master builder died and brought it to completion. Others maintain that she merely assisted her father. Still others maintain that Sabina completed the cathedral by herself, aided by "magic," when other stonemasons refused to work with her.
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...
(in what is now eastern 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...
) during the 13th century. She is said to have been the daughter of Erwin von Steinbach
Erwin von Steinbach
Erwin von Steinbach was a German architect, and was a central figure in the construction of Notre-Dame de Strasbourg.-Biography:...
, architect and master builder at Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely consideredSusan Bernstein: , The Johns Hopkins University Press to be among the finest...
, the cathedral in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. When after her father's death her brother Johann continued to build the cathedral tower from 1318 to 1339, Sabina is believed to have been employed as a skilful mason and sculptor in its completion.
Work
Sabina is traditionally considered responsible for the statues personifying the Church and the Synagogue (both 13th century), which are located near the south portals of the cathedral.The tradition of Sabina as a mason in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, constantly cited, appears to have been first published in 1617 by Schadeus in his description of Strasbourg Cathedral. This understanding may have derrived from the interpretation of a - now lost - Latin inscription on a scroll held by the figure of St. John. It translated: "Thanks to the piety of this woman, Sabina, who has given me form from this hard stone."
Women stonemasons
Women were admitted to membership in the majority of the medieval craft guilds, but membership in a guild did not carry with it the right of being apprenticed, although it implied that a female member might share in all its benefits, pious and pecuniary, and in the event of her husband’s death (he being a master) might carry on his trade. This was easily done with the help of a managing journeyman and it is well known that provision was made for the journeyman's promptly acquiring the master’s rights by marrying such a widow. Stonemasons often traveled to distant sites for work that might be decades in construction and would naturally have taken their wives and children with them.Von Steinbach's employment of his daughter Sabina among the Strasbourg stonemasons was not merely an irregularity perpetrated by a provincial lodge, lax in the proper guild observances. Until the capture of the city by France in 1681, the headquarters of the German stonemasons was in Strasbourg (even as late as 1760 the Strasbourg lodge still claimed tribute from the lodges of Germany). Indeed, American historian Albert Mackey
Albert Mackey
Albert Gallatin Mackey was an American medical doctor, and is best known for his authorship of many books and articles about freemasonry, particularly Masonic Landmarks...
, in his Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, cites the theory "which places the organization of the Order of Freemasonry at the building of the Cathedral of Strasbourg, in the year 1275."
Some contend that Sabina took over the contract on her father's job at Strasbourg after the master builder died and brought it to completion. Others maintain that she merely assisted her father. Still others maintain that Sabina completed the cathedral by herself, aided by "magic," when other stonemasons refused to work with her.