Imperial abbeys (German: Reichsabteien, also Reichsklöster and Reichsstifte) were religious houses within the Holy Roman Empire which for some period during their existence had the status of Reichsunmittelbarkeit ("imperial immediacy"): that is, such houses were answerable directly to the Emperor and were thus sovereign territories (however small), independent of other lordships. This status brought with it numerous other political and financial advantages, such as immunity from the authority of the local bishop, rights to demand various taxes and duties and to levy justice.
The head of an Imperial abbey was generally an Imperial abbot (Reichsabt) or Imperial abbess (Reichsäbtissin). (The head of a Reichspropstei — an Imperial provostry or priory — was generally a Reichspropst). Some of the greatest establishments had the rank of ecclesiastical principalities, and were headed by a Prince-Abbot or a Prince-Provost (Fürstabt, Fürstpropst), with status comparable to that of Prince-Bishops. Most however (and many of these religious houses had only very small territories) were Imperial prelates (Reichsprelaten) and as such participated in a single collective vote in the Reichstag as members of the Bench of Prelates, later (1575) divided into the Swabian College of Imperial Prelates and the Rhenish College of Imperial Prelates.
It was not uncommon for heads of religious houses other than the Imperial abbeys to have similar titles even though their establishments did not have Reichsunmittelbarkeit. To take three examples, the Prince-Bishop of St. Gall retained his title until the abbey was secularised in 1798, even though it had ceased to be an Imperial abbey in 1648; the abbot of Muri (which had a strong Habsburg connection) was created an Imperial prince in 1710, although by that time Muri was in Switzerland; and the Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's Abbey in Baden-Württemberg held that title, not on account of the status of the abbey, which was not reichsunmmittelbar, but because it was conferred on him by the abbey's ownership of the County of Bonndorf.
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The religious houses listed here as List A are those named in the Matrikel, or lists of those eligible to vote in the Reichstag, including those whose votes were collective rather than individual. Three of these lists survive and are accessible, from 1521, 1755 (or thereabouts) and 1792.
This list includes the Principalities, Imperial abbeys (Reichsabteien and -klöster), Imperial colleges (Reichsstifte), Imperial provostries or priories (Reichspropsteien) and the single Imperial charterhouse (Reichskartause).
The word "Stift", meaning a collegiate foundation or canonry, possibly belonging to a variety of different orders or to none at all, and either with or without rules and vows, for either men ("Herrenstift") or for women ("Frauenstift"), has been left untranslated, except when it specifically refers to the chapter of a church.
Some of the imperial abbeys were dissolved during the Reformation; others were absorbed into other territories at various times in the general course of political life. Those in Alsace and Switzerland passed out of the Empire in 1648, when Alsace was ceded to France and Switzerland became independent. The great majority of these religious bodies however were secularised during the brief period that included the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath, especially as a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of February 1803. Any that survived, lost their Imperial titles when the Holy Roman Empire was wound up in 1806.
| CoA | Religious house | Location | Founded | Imm. | Lost imm. | To... | Description and status | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baindt Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1240 | 1376 | 1802 Sec. | County of Aspermont-Linden | Cistercian nunnery; reichsunmittelbar but remained subordinate to Salem Abbey. RA | SC | |
| Berchtesgaden Provostry | Bavaria | 1102 | 1194 | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Salzburg | Augustinian Canons. Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). RF from 1380 or 1559 | RF | |
| Buchau Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | ca 700 | 1347 | 1803 Sec. | County of Thurn und Taxis | Frauenstift. RA. RF[1] | RC | |
| Burtscheid Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen) | 997 | 1220/21 | 1802 Sec. | Roer | Benedictine monastery; from 1220/21 Cistercian nunnery. RF | RC | |
| Buxheim Charterhouse | Bavaria | ca 1100 | 1548 | 1802/03 Sec. | County of Ostein | Canons; Carthusians from 1402 (the only Reichskartause). RP | SC and RC | |
| Comburg | Baden-Württemberg (Schwäbisch Hall) | 1070s | before 15th c. | 1587 Med. | Duchy of Württemberg | Benedictine monastery, later Herrenstift. Mediatised by Württemberg 1587; secularised 1803. RA | SC | |
| Corvey Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia (Höxter) | ca 820 | ca 1150 | 1803 Sec. | Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda | Benedictine monastery. RA; RF no later than 1582[2] | RF | |
| Disentis Abbey | Switzerland | ca 720[3] | early 8th c. | 1798 Hel. | Three Leagues | Benedictine monastery; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA | SC | |
| Echternach Abbey | Luxembourg | 700 | 751 | 1794 Sec. | Forêts | Benedictine monastery. Mediatised by Austria sometime after 1521[4] RA | ||
| Einsiedeln Abbey | Switzerland | 934 | 965 | 1648 Switz. | Canton of Schwyz | Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648; secularised 1798; re-established 1803. RA | ||
| Elchingen Abbey | Bavaria | 1128 | 1128 | 1802 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Ellwangen Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | ca 764 | 1011? | 1802 Sec. | Duchy of Württemberg | Benedictine monastery; Fürstpropstei ("Prince-Provostry"). Possibly founded as early as 732. RF | RF | |
| Essen Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia | ca 845 | betw. 874 and 947 | 1803 Sec. | Kingdom of Prussia | Frauenstift. RA | RC | |
| Frauenchiemsee Abbey (aka Frauenwörth) | Bavaria | 782 | 782? | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| Fraumünster Abbey | Switzerland (Zürich) | 853 | 1218 | 1524 Sec. | Canton of Zurich | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| Fürstenfeld Abbey | Bavaria (Fürstenfeldbruck) | 1258 | Uncertain | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Fulda Abbey | Hesse | 744 | 765 | 1802 Sec. | Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda | Benedictine monastery. RF[5] | RF | |
| Gandersheim Abbey | Lower Saxony | 852 | 877 / 919 | 1810 Sec. | Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Frauenstift. The abbey asserted Reichsunmittelbarkeit but owned no reichsunmittelbar estates, and was claimed until 1709 by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. RA | RC | |
| Gengenbach Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 727–35 | 9th c. | 1803 Sec. | Margraviate of Baden | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Gernrode Abbey | Saxony-Anhalt | 959 | 964 | 1728 Med. | Principality of Anhalt-Dessau | Frauenstift. De facto sovereignty lost to Anhalt in 1570. RA | RC | |
| Göss Abbey | Austria (Leoben) | 1004 | 1020 | 1782 Sec. | Habsburg Monarchy | Benedictine nunnery. RA | SC | |
| Gutenzell Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1237 | 1417 | 1803 Sec. | County of Toerring | Cistercian nunnery. RA | SC | |
| Heggbach Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Maselheim) | 1231 | 1429 | 1803 Sec. | County of Bassenheim | Beguines; Cistercian nunnery from 1248.[6] RA | SC | |
| Helmarshausen Abbey | Hesse (Bad Karlshafen) | 997 | 997 | 1538 Sec. | Landgraviate of Hesse | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Herford Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia | 832 | 1147 | 1802 Sec. | County of Ravensberg | Frauenstift. Lutheran from 1533. RA | RC | |
| Herrenalb Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1147/48 | 1275 | 1497 Med. | Margraviate of Baden Duchy of Württemberg |
Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Hersfeld Abbey | Hesse | 736–42 | 775 | 1648 Sec. | Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel | Benedictine monastery. De facto mediatised to Hesse-Kassel from 1606. RA | RC | |
| Irsee Abbey | Bavaria | 1186 | 1695 | 1802 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Kaisheim Abbey (sometimes Kaisersheim Abbey) | Bavaria | 1135 | 1346 | 1802 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Cistercian monastery. Immediacy was not recognised by the Wittelsbachs, who were the Vögte; a legal agreement was reached with their successors in 1656, confirming Reichsfreiheit. RA | SC and RC | |
| Kaufungen Abbey | Hesse (Kassel) | 1017 | 1017? | 1527 Med. | Hessian Knighthood | Benedictine nunnery. Given to the Hessische Ritterschaft 1532; still extant as a private foundation. RA | ||
| Kempten Abbey | Bavaria | 752 | 1062 | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Benedictine monastery; Fürststift from 1524. RA / RF | RF | |
| Klingenmünster Abbey | Rhineland-Palatinate | 636? | 1115 | 1567 Sec. | Electoral Palatinate | Possibly founded in 636, definitely before 780. Benedictine abbey until 1490; then Herrenstift. RA / RP | RC | |
| Königsbronn Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Heidenheim) | 1303 | probably 15th c. | 1553 Med. | Duchy of Württemberg | Cistercian monastery, taken over and made Protestant by Württemberg. It remained Protestant despite failed attempts to revert to Catholicism in 1630–32 and 1635–48; it was finally secularised in 1710. RA | ||
| Kornelimünster Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia (Aachen) | 614 | by mid-9th century | 1802 | Roer | Benedictine monastery. RA[7] | RC | |
| Kreuzlingen Abbey | Switzerland | ca 1125 | ca 1150 | 1648 Switz. | Canton of Thurgau | Augustinian Canons. Dissolved by the cantonal government in 1848. RA | ||
| Lindau Abbey | Bavaria | ca 822 | 1466 | 1802 | Principality of Bretzenstein | Frauenstift, possibly later a Reichsfürstabtei; RA. | SC | |
| Lorsch Abbey | Hesse (Darmstadt) | 764 | 852 (confirmed) | 1232 Med. | Archbishopric of Mainz | Benedictine monastery until 1248; thereafter Premonstratensian until dissolution in 1556. RA | SC | |
| Malmedy Abbey | Belgium | 645 | 651? | 1794 Sec. | Ourthe | Benedictine monastery, forming a single principality with Stavelot. RA | RF | |
| Marchtal Abbey (also Marchthal) | Baden-Württemberg | before 776 | 1500 | 1803 Sec. | County of Thurn und Taxis | Premonstratensian monastery. Refounded 1171. RA | SC | |
| Marmoutier Abbey; also Maursmünster[8] | Alsace | by659 | 7th/8th centuries | 1789 | Bas-Rhin | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Maulbronn Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1147 | 1147 | 1806 Sec. | Kingdom of Württemberg | Cistercian monastery. Seized by Württemberg in 1504, secularised in 1534, alternated between Cistercianism and Protestantism until settled to the latter by Peace of Westphalia in 1648. RA | SC | |
| Memleben Abbey | Saxony-Anhalt | 975 | uncertain, poss. late 10th c. | 1548 Med. | Hersfeld Abbey | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
| Michaelsberg Abbey (also known as Siegburg Abbey) | North Rhine-Westphalia (Siegburg) | 1064 | 1512 | 1676 Med. | Duchy of Berg | Benedictine monastery. Secularised in 1803. RA | RC | |
| Mönchrot Abbey, also Mönchroth, Münchenroth, Rot or Rot an der Rot Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Rot an der Rot) | 1126 | 1497 | 1803 Med. | County of Wartenberg | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Mondsee Abbey | Austria | 748 | 788 | 1791 | Habsburg Monarchy | Benedictine monastery. Imperial immediacy lost to the Bishopric of Regensburg 831–1142. RA | SC | |
| Abbey of Münster im Gregoriental[9] | Alsace | 660 | 1235 | 1789 Sec. | Haut-Rhin | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Murbach Abbey (incl Lüders) | Alsace | 727 | from 782–83 | 1789 Sec. | Haut-Rhin | Benedictine monastery. Effectively French since 1648, but anomalously remained legally part of the Empire; dissolved during the Revolution. RF | RF | |
| Muri Abbey | Switzerland | 1027 | 1701 | 1648 Switz. | Helvetic Canton of Baden | Benedictine monastery. The abbey was never Reichsfrei, but the abbot was created Reichsfürst in 1701. RA | ||
| Neresheim Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1095 | 1764 | 1802 Sec. | County of Thurn und Taxis | Benedictine monastery. The abbey's status was the subject of litigation with the County of Oettingen until after 1760. RA | SC | |
| Niedermünster | Bavaria (Regensburg) | before 700 | 1002 | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Frauenstift. Refounded 788, 948–55. RA | RC | |
| Nordhausen chapter | Thuringia | poss mid-10th c. | by 1220 | 1802 Sec. | Kingdom of Prussia | Chapter of Nordhausen Cathedral. RA | ||
| Obermünster | Bavaria (Regensburg) | early 9th century | before 1024 | 1810 | Kingdom of Bavaria | Benedictine nunnery, later Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1315 | RC | |
| Oberschönenfeld Abbey | Bavaria | ca 1211 | 1248? | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Beguines until c 1211, then Cistercian nunnery, formalised from 1248. RA | ||
| Ochsenhausen Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1093 | 1495 | 1803 Sec | County of Metternich-Winnenburg | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Odenheim Abbey (originally Wigoldsberg; later also Odenheim and Bruchsal) | Baden-Württemberg | ca 1108 | by 1161 | 1802–03 Sec | Margraviate of Baden | Benedictine monastery; Herrenstift from 1496. RA | RC | |
| Ottobeuren Abbey | Bavaria | 764 | 1299, regranted 1710[10] | 1802 Sec | Electorate of Bavaria ( Bishopric of Augsburg 1624–1710) |
Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Petershausen Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz) | 983 | early 13th century | 1802 Sec | Margraviate of Baden | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Pfäfers Abbey | Switzerland | 731 | 1408 | 1648 Switz. | Swiss condominium | Benedictine monastery. Ceased to be part of HRE in 1648 (secularised 1798; re-established 1803). RA | ||
| Prüfening Abbey | Bavaria (Regensburg) | 1119 | Unknown | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Prüm Abbey | Rhineland-Palatinate | 720 | 1222 | 1576 Sec. | Archbishopric of Trier | Benedictine monastery. Annexed by France 1794. RF | RF | |
| Quedlinburg Abbey | Saxony-Anhalt | 936 | 936 | 1803 | Kingdom of Prussia | Frauenstift; Lutheran from 1540. RA | RC | |
| Recklinghausen Abbey (also Rechenhausen) | North Rhine-Westphalia | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Essen Abbey | RA | ||
| Reichenau Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 724 | Unknown | 1540 or 1548 | Bishopric of Constance | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Riddagshausen Abbey | Brunswick | 1145/46 | Uncertain, early | 1569 Med. | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Cistercian monastery. Mediatised on Reformation to Lutheran seminary; secularised 1809. RA | ||
| Roggenburg Abbey | Bavaria | 1126 | 1482–1485 | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Rottenmünster Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Rottweil) | 1224 | 1237 | 1803 Sec. | Duchy of Württemberg | Cistercian nunnery. Reopened 1898. RA | SC | |
| Saalfeld Abbey | Thuringia (Saalfeld) | 1071 | Unknown | 1526 Sec. | Electorate of Saxony | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
| St Bartholomäus cathedral chapter | Hesse (Frankfurt am Main) | 852 | Unknown | 1803 Sec. | Imperial City of Frankfurt | Chapter of the Kaiserdom in Frankfurt. RP | RC | |
| St. Blaise's in the Black Forest | Baden-Württemberg | Uncertain | 1609 | 1806 Sec. | Grand Duchy of Baden | Benedictine monastery. The Prince-Abbot of St. Blaise's had princely status (RF) not because of the abbey itself but because the abbey had acquired the County of Bonndorf, which carried princely status with it from 1609[11] | ||
| St. Emmeram's Abbey | Bavaria (Regensburg) | ca 739 | 1295 | 1803 Sec. | Principality of Regensburg | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
| St. Gall | Switzerland | 613 | 1207 | 1798 Sec. (1648 Switz.) | Helvetic Canton of Säntis | Benedictine monastery; later Fürstabtei. Swiss associate from 1451; secularised temporarily 1527–32. RA / RF | SC | |
| St George's at Isny in the Allgäu | Baden-Württemberg (Isny im Allgäu) | 1096 | 1781 | 1803 Sec. | Princely County of Quadt-Wykradt | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein | Switzerland (Stein am Rhein) | 9th c. | 15th c. | 1521–26 Sec. | Canton of Zurich | Founded 9th century on the Hohentwiel; moved to Stein am Rhein ca 1007. RA | ||
| St. Giles' Abbey, Nuremberg (Schottenkloster Sankt Ägidien) | Bavaria | ca 1140 | Unknown | 1525 Med. | Imperial City of Nuremberg | "Schottenkloster"; Benedictine monastery from 1418. Absorbed by Nuremberg in 1525 (possibly 1567) as unable to document immediacy. RA | ||
| St. Ludger's Abbey | Lower Saxony (Helmstedt) | ca 800 | Unknown | 1802 Sec. | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
| St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier | Rhineland-Palatinate | 4th c. | before early 12th c. | 1669 Med. | Archbishopric of Trier | Benedictine monastery. Mediatised to Electoral Palatinate in 16th century, but status not finalised until immediacy definitively surrendered to Trier in 1669. RA | RC | |
| St. Peter's Abbey in the Black Forest | Baden-Württemberg | before 1073 | 11th c. | 1806 Sec. | Grand Duchy of Baden | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
| St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey | Bavaria | ca 10th c. | 1577 de jure 1643 de facto |
1802 Sec. | Imperial City of Augsburg Electorate of Bavaria |
Benedictine monastery from 1006–12; probably refounded from a 5th or 6th century predecessor. The abbey was made reichsunmittelbar in 1577 but its status was challenged by the Bishop of Augsburg in litigation until 1643/44. RA | RC | |
| Salem Abbey aka Salmansweiler | Baden-Württemberg | 1136 | 1138–52 | 1803 Sec. | Margraviate of Baden | Cistercian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Schaffhausen Abbey | Switzerland | 1049 | 1080 | 1529 Med. | Canton of Schaffhausen | Benedictine monastery. RA | ||
| Schänis Abbey | Switzerland | 9th c. | 1045 | 1438 Med. | Swiss condominium | Frauenstift. Frederick IV, King of Germany confirmed the abbatial rights in 1442, but the link with the Empire was broken; the abbess continued to bear the title of Princess of the Holy Roman Empire until secularisation to the canton of St. Gallen under the Act of Mediation in 1803. Suspended during the Protestant Reformation 1529–31. RA | SC | |
| Schussenried Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1183 | 1440 | 1803 Sec. | County of Sternberg-Manderscheid | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Schuttern Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 603 | 975 | 1801 Sec. | Duchy of Modena | Benedictine monastery. Not to be confused with Schottern Abbey in Austria, secularised in the 15th century. RA | SC | |
| Selz Abbey | Baden, later Alsace | 991 | 992 | 1481 Med. | Electoral Palatinate | Benedictine monastery / nunnery. Secularised in 1803. RA | ||
| Söflingen Abbey (sometimes Söfflingen) | Baden-Württemberg (Ulm) | 1258 | 1773 | 1797 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Poor Clares. RA | SC | |
| Stablo or Stavelot Abbey (also Stablingen) | Belgium | 651 | 651? | 1794 Sec. | Ourthe | Benedictine monastery. Formed a single principality with Malmedy. RF. | RF | |
| Thorn Abbey | The Netherlands (Limburg) | ca 975 | 1292 | 1795 Sec. | Meuse-Inférieure | Frauenstift. RA. RF from 1793. | RC | |
| Ursberg Abbey | Bavaria | 1126–28 | 1143 | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Premonstratensian monastery. Not to be confused with Urspring Abbey. RA | SC | |
| Waldsassen Abbey | Bavaria | 1128–32 | 1177 | 1543 Med. | Electoral Palatinate | Cistercian monastery. Secularised to Electorate of Bavaria in 1803; reopened as Cistercian nunnery 1863. RA | SC | |
| Walkenried Abbey | Lower Saxony | 1127 | 1542 | 1648 Med. | Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel | Cistercian monastery. RA | RC | |
| Weingarten Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1056 | 1274 | 1803 Sec. | Principality of Nassau-Orange-Fulda | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| Weissenau Abbey | Baden-Württemberg (Ravensburg) | 1145 | ca 1257 | 1802 | County of Sternberg-Manderscheid | Premonstratensian monastery. RA | SC | |
| Weissenburg Abbey | Alsace | 7th c. | Unknown | 1306 Med. | Imperial City of Weissenburg | Reichspropstei. Raised to Imperial city 1306, joined Décapole 1354, annexed by France 1697. RP / RF (status later assumed by Bishop of Speyer). | RF | |
| Werden Abbey | North Rhine-Westphalia (Essen) | 799 | 877 | 1803 | Kingdom of Prussia | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC | |
| Wettenhausen Abbey | Bavaria | 1130 | Unknown | 1803 Sec. | Electorate of Bavaria | Augustinian Canons. Founded on the site of an earlier foundation, dated 982. RA | SC | |
| Zwiefalten Abbey | Baden-Württemberg | 1089 | 1750 | 1802 Sec. | Duchy of Württemberg | Benedictine monastery. RA | SC | |
| CoA | Religious house | Location | Founded | Imm. | Lost imm. | To... | Description and status | College |
The Matrikel of 1521 included a number of religious houses which have not been identified:
| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckenried Abbey[12] | Switzerland | ceased to be part of the HRE in 1648 | RA |
| Blankenburg Abbey | nk[13] | nk | nk |
| Brunnen Abbey | Landstrass, Carinthia (Austria) | nk | nk |
| Hynoltshusen Abbey | nk[14] | nk | monastery |
| Kitzingen Abbey | nk | nk | monastery |
| Rockenhausen | nk[15] | nk | RA |
| St. Johann (St. John's Abbey) | nk | nk | nk |
Inclusion in the 1521 Reichsmatrikel is not by itself conclusive evidence that a particular religious house was in fact an Imperial abbey, and the status of the following abbey listed in the Matrikel is questionable in the absence of further confirmation from other sources:
| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's Abbey in the Thurtal (Sant Johans im Turital) | Switzerland (Alt St. Johann, later Nesslau) | fdd. before 1152; RU nk (if at all); subordinated to St. Gall's Abbey 1555; ceased to be part of the HRE 1648 (dissolved 1805) | Benedictine monastery. Imperial status unknown |
For a variety of reasons a quantity of religious houses that possessed, or claimed, the status of Imperial immediacy either did not attend the Reichstag, or were not listed in the surviving Matrikel. The following list is very far from complete, and possibly some of those listed may not in fact have been reichsunmittelbar.
| Religious house | Location | Dates | Description and Imperial status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amorbach Abbey | Bavaria | |||
| Munsterbilzen Abbey | Belgium | |||
| Nienburg Abbey | Saxony-Anhalt | fdd 975; RU temp. Otto II; mediatised 1166 by the Archbishop of Magdeburg; secularised 1563 by the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau | Benedictine monastery. RA | RC |
| Nivelles Abbey | Belgium | |||
| Schöntal Abbey[16] | Baden-Württemberg | fdd. 1157; RU from 1418 to 1495; secularised 1803 | Cistercian; RA | |
| Tegernsee Abbey | Bavaria | |||
| Wiblingen Abbey | Baden-Württemberg, Ulm | fdd. 1037; RU from 1701; secularised 1806 | Benedictine; RA |
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