Monastery of Reichenau

Reichenau is an island in the Lac of Constancy ( Bodensee ) and, by extension, its monastery. Today, the municipality of Reichenau is in the district of Constance, in the Land of the Bade-Wurtemberg.

Since 2000, the island, with its abbey, is registered with the World heritage of the Humanity of UNESCO.

The island

Geography and economy

The island is in the Western part, Untersee, of the Lac of Constancy, between Constance and the falls of the the Rhine close to Schaffhouse where the the Rhine leaves the lake of Constancy.

The island is related since 1838 by a stopping to the continent. The highest point of the island is to 438 m of altitude, 43 m above the level of the lake.

Thanks to the thermal inertia of the lake of Constancy, with the Foehn of the the Alps and great number of days of sun, the climate of Reichenau is particularly soft, allowing the market gardening and of fruits. A little Vin is also produced with the Reichenauer Hochwart .

Geology

The island consists of Moraine deposited at the end of the last Glaciation (Würm).

The monastery

The monastery Bénédictin on the island of Reichenau is founded in 724 and becomes starting from 1540 the Prieuré of the bishop of Constance. In 1803, the monastery was abandoned.

History

The Monastère is founded in 724 by the bishop missionary Saint Pirmin, and enjoys the support of the kings Carolingiens.

The first apogee of the monastery is at the end of the 8th century and at the 9th century. The abbot Waldo (786 - 806) is the founder of the school of Reichenau. The abbot Hatto Ier (806 - 823) is the initiator of the first Cathédrale in Mittelzell, and the bishop Hatto III (888 - 913) built the Saint-Georges church in Oberzell.

The second great period of Reichenau is at the time of the kings Ottoniens, about the year thousand, with the “gilded” bishops Witigowo (985 - 997), Immo (1006 - 1008) and Berno (1008 - 1048). At that time Reichenau is a famous school of writing which produces the frescos of the Saint-Georges church of the historian Hermann von Reichenau (- 1054). A last time of splendor of the convent will take place during the reign of the Diethelm abbot of Krenklingen (1169 - 1206).

The top Moyen-âge will see a rapid decline of the monastery, in spite of several attempts at reform. In 1402, it has nothing any more but two monks there.

At the 15th century, the monastic ideal Bénédictin takes again gloss and the Cathédrale of Mittelzell is increased with a Gothic chorus late; the chronicler Gallus Oehem writes a history of the monastery.

In 1540, Markus gives up leading the monastery and is withdrawn with the évêché of Constance. Reichenau is nothing any more but one office of administration with twelve monks. The self-sufficiency of the spiritual community on the island ends with the dissolution of the monastery in 1803.

A small community of Bénédictin S again saw on the island since 2001.

Legendary creation

The Reichenau island belonged to the field of an aristocrat named Sintlas which lived the Sandeck castle on the current commune of Salenstein to opposite of Swiss bank. So the island was initially called Sintlas-With or Sindleozesauua.

When Saint Pirmin arrives at Untersee in 724, Sintlas requires of him to build a vault in the area. Pirmin chooses the Reichenau island. It was covered with a virgin forest populated of snakes, clamping plates and insects.

Pirmin made miracles: a source spouts out where it put foot on the island. Vermin flees in three days while swimming on the lake.

Pirmin and its companions cleared to make the island livable then founded a first monastery.

Culture

The monastery was one of the arts centres and scientific important of the kingdoms Carolingiens and Ottoniens the Top Moyen-âge.

Inter alia, Reichenau was the residence of the abbot Walahfrid Strabo who writes in 824 Visio Wettini , and in 827 the first botanical work, Liber of will cultura hortorum (" The Care of the jardins").

Most important and influence abbot of Reichenbau was Hatto (of 888 with 913), named Archevêque of Mainz in 891 which was chancellor (to advise Empereur).

Hatto accompanies with Rome the king Arnulf de Carinthie who is crowned Empereur by the Pape in 895. It receives there hands of the pope Formosa (891 - 896) the Relique S of Saint Georges, starting point of the church of the same name.

After the death of Arnulf in 899, Hatto becomes regent of the heir, Louis IV, which dies in 18 years in 911. He will succeed, as king of the Francs of the East (Franconie) a nephew of Arnulf, Conrad Ier.

See too

External bonds

One will read with profit enormous work under the directionde Helmut Maurer Die Abtei Reichenau, Jan Thorbeke Verlag, 1974, more than 600 pages, very many ill. plans, in black or colors.

Sources

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