Reichersberg Abbey

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Reichersberg Abbey
250px
View from the air
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Monastery information
Order Augustinian Canons Regular
Established 1084
Architecture
Functional Status In use
File:Reichersberg.neu.jpg
View of the abbey by Michael Wening, published in 1721

Reichersberg Abbey (German: Stift Reichersberg) is a monastery of the Innviertel Congregation of the Austrian Augustinian Canons. It lies on the Inn River in Reichersberg, Upper Austria.

History

Original monastery

The nobleman Wernher von Reichersberg converted his possessions into a monastery in the 11th century. It has been owned by Augustinian Canons since then.[1] Wernher and his wife Dietburga donated their castle to the canons regular for use as a monastery in 1084 after their only son Gebhard died young.[2] In the first few decades of its existence the monastery went through several changes of hands.[3] Although the monastery lay within the diocese of Passau, it became the property of the diocese of Salzburg.[4] The Archbishop Conrad I of Salzburg, who "tolerated no hireling or dissolute priests", appointed the like-minded Gerhoh provost of the monastery in 1132.[5] Conrad gave various tithes to Reichersberg, "except for the canonical portion of the parish priests". He reserved the right to dispose of the priest's portion to avoid disputes with the canons.[6]

The monastery flourished under the guidance of Gerhoh, the third Provost and an eminent theologian.[2] While there, Gerhoh composed his commentary on the Psalms between 1144 and 1148, making much use of the earlier work of Gilbert of Poitiers.[7] When Gerhoh wrote his Inquiry into the Antichrist in 1662, he had been provost of Reichersberg for thirty years.[8] Gerhoh died in 1169. His successor Arno, also a distinguished scholar, died in 1175.[9] Arno was the brother of Gerhoh, and author of Scutum Canonicorum Regularium and other works.[10] Gerhoh's pupil, Magnus, wrote a history of the abbey from 1167 to 1195.[11]

The archbishop of Salzburg gave the abbey a pastoral area on what was then the Hungarian border, where the canons are active to this day. [2] In the mid 16th century master Ulrich Lufftenecker became a teacher at the monastery, and taught students choral singing. Four printed choir books have survived from the second half of the 16th century.[3]

Later history

File:Rubens, Peter Paul - Massacre of the Innocents - Art Gallery of Ontario.jpg
The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens was exhibited at the monastery for many years until the artist was identified.

The original monastery was relatively small, built in Romanesque-Gothic style. In 1624 it was destroyed by a fire. During the years that followed a large baroque replacement was erected.[2] These buildings stand today.[1] A new organ was made by A. Butz in 1638. It was destroyed in 1774 by collapse of the tower in which it was installed.[3] The outer courtyard of the monastery has a marble fountain crowned with a figure of St. Michael, the patron of the monastery, made by Thomas Schwanthaler. The Munich court painter Christian Wink completed the frescoes of the church in 1778-79. The monastery holds the work of other artists including Josef Matthias Götz, Franz Ignaz Holzinger and Giovanni Battista Carlone.[4]

In 1779 the monastery was assigned to Austria and thus escaped the secularization of Bavarian monasteries. During the Napoleonic Wars it had to struggle for its existence.[2] In 1810 the monastery was placed under administration. Normal monastic activities resumed in 1817.[3] In 1883 the collegiate church organ was widened following the plans of organist J. E. Habert.[3] During World War II (1939-1945) the monastery was forced to provide a home for a flying school, but avoided being closed down.[2]

Today

As of 2013 there were about twenty canons at the abbey.[2] The monastery has been renovated and is now a cultural center of the Innviertels.[1] The monastery has an extensive library, holding 55,000 volumes. It holds a large collection of religious art, which can be viewed during guided tours. In 2002 a painting of the Massacre of the Innocents, which was on loan, was found to be a genuine Rubens. It was later sold for over €75 million.[12] The monastery holds exhibitions, seminars and garden days. It has a shop, a wine shop and restaurant. There is accommodation for seminar attendees.[13]

Gallery

  • Reichersberg abbey, general view-1.JPG

    General view, in 2013

  • Reichersberg abbey, general view-2.JPG

    General view, in 2013

  • Reichersberg Stift Arkaden Portal detail.jpg

    portal in the arcade

  • Reichersberg Herrengarten 3.jpg

    Garden

  • Reichersberg Stift Hof 7.jpg

    Turret

  • Reichersberg Stift Portal.jpg

    Portal

  • Reichersberg Stift Arkaden.jpg

    Arcade

  • Reichersberg Stift Arkaden Portal.jpg

    portal in the arcade

  • Reichersberg Stiftskirche Blick zum Chor.jpg

    Church interior

  • Reichersberg Stiftskirche Beichtstuhl.jpg

    Confessional

  • Reichersberg Stiftskirche Kanzel 1.jpg

    Pulpit, attributed to Joseph Matthias Götz, 1718

  • Reichersberg Stiftskirche Fresken Trompe-l-oeil Fenster.jpg

    Trompe-l'œil painting of a window

References

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Das Stift: Stift Reichersberg.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Augustiner-Chorherren: Stift Reichersberg.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 RSch 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Winklhofer 2013.
  5. ↑ Neander 1843, p. 75.
  6. ↑ Constable 1964, p. 101-102.
  7. ↑ Gross-Diaz 1996, p. 28.
  8. ↑ Harris 2011, p. 45.
  9. ↑ Brooke & Ellis 1891, p. 404.
  10. ↑ Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge 1844, p. 587.
  11. ↑ Loud 2010, p. 4–5.
  12. ↑ Clark 2008, p. 35.
  13. ↑ Zimmer und Pauschalangebote: Stift Reichersberg.

Sources

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