Schussenried Abbey

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Kloster Schussenried 1721

New Monastery ("Neues Kloster") and abbey church

Schussenried Abbey (Kloster Schussenried, Reichsabtei Schussenried) was a Premonstratensian monastery in Bad Schussenried, Upper Swabia, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

1 History
2 Library
3 Abbey church
4 Provosts and abbots
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

In 1183 the monastery here was founded by the local landowners, Berengar and Konrad of Schussenried, and was settled from the Premonstratensian Rot Abbey.

Ceiling painting in stairwell, New Monastery

Pope Innocent III granted it his protection and guaranteed its immunity by a privilege of 13 February 1211. It acquired substantial endowments and built up a considerable territory, and was declared an "imperial abbey" (i.e., territorially independent) in 1440.

The abbey suffered tremendous damage and losses however in the Thirty Years' War: many of the monastic buildings were burnt down by the Swedes and the lands were largely laid waste.

Sufficient recovery had at length been made by the 18th century for comprehensive re-building to be undertaken, and the present name Neues Kloster ("new monastery") refers to the Baroque re-construction from 1752. The planning was the responsibility of Dominikus Zimmermann. The original plan of four wings with an integrated church was not completely carried out for financial reasons: the present three-winged construction consists of the north wing plus stumps of the intended east and west wings, and represents about a third of the projected building complex.

After the "Reichsdeputationshauptschluss" of 1803 the abbey and its territory was given, in compensation for their losses to the west of the Rhine, to the Counts of Sternberg-Manderscheid, who used the abbey as their castle. In 1806 the territory was mediatised to the Kingdom of Württemberg, to whom the counts' heirs sold the buildings in 1835.

The State of Württemberg set up a foundry on part of the land, and in 1875 a nursing home was set up in the buildings. Until 1997 this was the State Psychiatric Hospital Bad Schussenried, later known as the Centre for Psychiatry.

Since 1998 the "Neue Kloster" has been used as an exhibition and event centre.

[edit] Library

Library

The Baroque library is the most spectacular part of the monastic buildings and one of the main sights of the Oberschwäbische Barockstraße. The room is extremely light. The locked bookcases are arranged in two storeys. The ornamentation is among the richest of the 18th century in the German-speaking world. The ceiling fresco completed by Franz Georg Hermann in 1757 shows in bewildering detail the workings of divine wisdom in Apocalypse, Scholarship, Education and Craft.

Deceivers: Nestorians and Arius

To the most recent sculptures created for the room belong the eight groups of False Church Teachers, opposite which stand eight large figures of True Church Teachers. They are by Fidelis Sporer and were finished in 1766.

[edit] Abbey church

The abbey church is now the parish church, dedicated to Saint Magnus. It contains elements of Romanesque Gothic and Baroque architecture. Among the most noteworthy features are the choir stalls by Georg Anton Macheln and the ceiling frescoes by Johannes Zick showing the life of Norbert of Xanten, founder of the Premonstratensians.

[edit] Provosts and abbots

Provosts:

Friedrich 1183-1188
Mangold 1188-1192
Menfried 1205-1208
Luither 1208-1209
Burkhard 1209-1215
Konrad I von Besserer 1215-1218
Rudolf 1221-1222
Konrad II 1223-1248
Bertold I 1248-1278
Ortholf I von Wielin 1278-1281
Heinrich I 1282-1290
Albert 1290-1302
Konrad III 1302-1326
Ortholf II Schorp 1326-1356
Bertold II von Altheim 1356-1363
Johannes I von Veser 1363-1371
Hiltbrand von Wielin 1371-1404
Konrad IV 1404-1420
Johannes II Rothmund 1420-1438

Abbots:

Konrad V Rauber 1438-1466
Petrus Fuchs 1467-1480
Heinrich II Österreicher 1480-1505
Johannes III Wittmayer 1505-1544
Gallus Müller 1544-1545
Jakob Renger 1545-1552
Benedikt Wall 1552-1575
Oswald Escher 1575-1582
Ludwig Mangold 1582-1604
Christoph Müller 1604-1606
Martin Dietrich 1606-1621
Matthaeus Rohrer 1621-1653
Mathias Binder 1653-1655
Augustin Arzet 1656-1666
Bernhard Henlin 1666-1673
Vincentius Schwab 1673-1683
Tiberius Mangold 1683-1710
Innocentius Schid 1710-1719
Didacus Ströbele 1719-1733
Siardus I Frick 1733-1750
Magnus Kleber 1750-1756
Nikolaus Kloos 1756-1775
Joseph Krapf 1775-1791
Siardus II Berchtold 1792-1803

[edit] References

Kohler, H. (ed.), 1983. Bad Schussenried. Geschichte einer oberschwäbischen Klosterstadt. Festschrift zur 800-Jahrfeier der Gründung des Prämonstratenserstifts. Sigmaringen: Thorbecke. ISBN 3-7995-4060-1
May, Johannes, 2000. Die himmlische Bibliothek im Prämonstratenserkloster Schussenried (2nd edn.). (= Marbacher Magazin, Sonderheft 87/1999). Marbach: Deutsche Schillergesellschaft. ISBN 3-933679-27-3