Elchingen Abbey

Imperial Abbey of Elchingen
Reichsabtei Elchingen
Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire
← 1128–1802 →
Map of Württemberg before the French Revolutionary Wars, showing the Free Imperial City of Ulm, separating the two parts of the Imperial Abbey of Elchingen, with the Danube shown running through the centre of the image.
Capital		Elchingen
Government		Theocracy
Historical era		Middle Ages
-	Founded by Counts     of Dillingen	1128
-	Joined Council of Princes	1793
-	Secularised to Bavaria	1802

Elchingen Abbey (German: Kloster Elchingen, Reichsabtei Elchingen) was a Benedictine monastery in Oberelchingen (in Elchingen) in Bavaria, Germany, in the diocese of Augsburg.

For much of its history, Elchingen was one of the 40-odd self-ruling imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire and, as such, was a virtually independent state that contained several villages aside from the monastery itself. At the time of its secularisation in 1802, the abbey covered 112 square kilometers and had 4000-4200 subjects.^[1]

History

Elchingen Abbey, 18th century

Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saints Peter and Paul, the monastery was founded by the Counts of Dillingen. The abbey was one of the very few that enjoyed Imperial immediacy (independent of the jurisdiction of any lord and answering directly to the Holy Roman Emperor, and thus a territorial principality in its own right). The abbot sat in the Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire.

Like all the other imperial abbeys, Elchingen lost its independence in the course of the secularisation process in 1802-1803 and the monastery was dissolved. By 1840 the buildings had been almost entirely demolished.

In 1921 the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate settled on the site.

References

Bibliography

• Brenner, Bernhard, 2003. Das ehemalige Reichsstift Elchingen/Oberelchingen. In: Klosterland Bayerisch Schwaben Werner Schiedermair (ed.), pp216–219. Lindenberg Fink. ISBN 3-89870-127-1.
• Dirr, Albert, 1926. Die Reichsabtei Elchingen von der Mitte des 15. bis zur Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts. Augsburg (also dissertation, University of Munich 1925)
• Konrad, Anton H., 1965. Die Reichsabtei Elchingen. Ihr Bild im Wandel der Jahrhunderte. Weissenhorn: Konrad.
• Kramer, Ferdinand Kramer, 1991. "Wissenschaft und Streben nach 'Wahrer Aufklärung'. Ein Beitrag zur Aufklärung im ostschwäbischen Benediktinerkloster Elchingen", in: Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte, 54 / 1991, 1:269-286 (ISSN 0044-2364)

External links

• (German) Records of Elchingen Abbey
• (German) Klöster in Bayern

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elchingen Abbey.

Holy Roman Empire — Imperial abbeys of the Swabian College Imperial abbeys and colleges (Reichsabteien, Reichsklöster und Reichsstifte) Baindt Comburg Disentis Elchingen Frauenchiemsee Fraumünster Fürstenfeld Gengenbach Göss Gutenzell Heggbach Helmarshausen Herrenalb Irsee Kaisheim† Lindau Lorsch Marchtal Marmoutier Maulbronn Mönchrot Mondsee Murbach* Neresheim Ochsenhausen Ottobeuren Petershausen Prüfening Reichenau Roggenburg Rottenmünster St. Gall's* St. George's in Isny Salem Schänis Schussenried Schuttern Söflingen Ursberg Waldsassen Weingarten Weissenau Wettenhausen Imperial charterhouse (Reichskartause) Buxheim† * Also a Prince of the Empire † Also in Rhenish College

Swabian Circle (1500–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Ecclesiastical Augsburg Constance Ellwangen Kempten Abbey Lindau Secular Baden Buchau Heiligenberg Hohenzollern-Hechingen Klettgau Liechtenstein Tengen Waldburg Scheer Trauchburg Waldsee Wolfegg Wurzach Zeil Württemberg Prelates Baindt Buchau Elchingen Gengenbach Gutenzell Heggbach Irsee Kaisheim Mainau Marchtal Neresheim Ochsenhausen Petershausen Roggenburg Rot Rottenmünster Salmanweiler St. George's in Isny Schussenried Söflingen Ursberg Weingarten Weißenau Wettenhausen Zwiefalten Counts Lords Altshausen Baar Bondorf Eberstein Eglingen Eglofs Fugger Jakob Johann Markus Gundelfingen Gutenstein Hausen Heiligenberg Hohenems Hohengeroldseck Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Justingen Kinzigerthal Königsegg and Aulendorf Lustenau Meßkirch Mindelheim / Schwabegg Oberdischingen Öttingen Baldern Öttingen Wallerstein Rechberg Rothenfels and Stauffen Stühlingen and Hohenhöwen Tettnang / Langenargen Thannhausen Wiesensteig Cities Aalen Augsburg Biberach Bopfingen Buchau Buchhorn Dinkelsbühl Eßlingen Gengenbach Giengen Heilbronn Isny Kaufbeuren Kempten Leutkirch Lindau Memmingen Nördlingen Offenburg Pfullendorf Ravensburg Reutlingen Rottweil Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Hall Überlingen Ulm Wangen Weil Wimpfen Zell Circles est. 1500: Bavarian, Swabian, Upper Rhenish, Lower Rhenish–Westphalian, Franconian, (Lower) Saxon Circles est. 1512: Austrian, Burgundian, Upper Saxon, Electoral Rhenish     ·     Unencircled territories

Coordinates: 48°27′08″N 10°05′17″E / 48.45222°N 10.08806°E / 48.45222; 10.08806