Loccum Abbey (Kloster Loccum) is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

monastery in the town of

Rehburg-Loccum Rehburg-Loccum () is a town 50 km north west of Hanover in the district of Nienburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography Geographical location Rehburg-Loccum borders the Steinhude Lake. The closest cities are Wunstorf and Neustadt in the d ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, near

Steinhude Lake Lake Steinhude, german: Steinhuder Meer, , is a lake in Lower Saxony, Germany located northwest of Hanover. Named after the nearby village of Steinhude, it has an area of about , making it the largest lake of northwestern Germany. At the same ...

History

Originating as a foundation of Count Wilbrand of Hallermund, Loccum Abbey was settled from

Volkenroda Abbey Volkenroda Abbey (Kloster Volkenroda) is a former Cistercian monastery in the municipality of Körner in the district Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis of Thuringia, Germany. History The abbey was founded in 1131 and settled by monks from Altenkamp, altho ...

under the first abbot, Ekkehard, in 1163. An ancient account describes it as being ''"in loco horroris et vastæ solitudinis et prædonum et latronum commorationis"'' ("in a place of horror and a desert of solitude and a dwelling of thieves and brigands"); and adds that, after suffering much from want and from the barbarity of their neighbours, the monks in time brought the land into cultivation, and the people to the fear of God. Loccum very quickly grew wealthy and was under the direct protection of the Pope and the Emperor as an

Imperial abbey Princely abbeys (german: Fürstabtei, ''Fürststift'') and Imperial abbeys (german: Reichsabtei, ''Reichskloster'', ''Reichsstift'', ''Reichsgotthaus'') were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of impe ...

(i.e., territorially independent). It was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

monastery run by the

Cistercians The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

. In the 16th century in

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

it became

. By 1700 the abbot of Loccum was permitted to marry and the Loccum Hof was built at Hanover to accommodate his spouse.. The monastery retained its property and wealth until the agrarian reforms of the 19th century, when it was included in the territory of the Duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, otherwise

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

. Since 1891 the monastery has also operated as a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

seminary and academy, a tradition going back to around the start of the 19th century. The title of "

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

" is retained, anomalously.

Modern community

The community today generally consists of between four and eight members, most of whom are also in holy orders. In addition the Lutheran Bishop of Hanover and the Director of Studies of the seminary are members ex officio. The abbot and prior are chosen from among the members.

Buildings

The abbey is known for its extremely well preserved monastic buildings from the late Romanesque period with church, cloister and associated rooms, chapter-house, sacristy, dormitory, refectory, library and lay-brothers' wing, as well as the various service buildings. The buildings as a whole are considered of equal architectural worth with

Maulbronn Abbey Maulbronn Monastery (german: Kloster Maulbronn) is a former Cistercian abbey and ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire located at Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg. The monastery complex, one of the best-preserved in Europe, was named a UNESCO ...

and

Bebenhausen Abbey Bebenhausen Abbey (''Kloster Bebenhausen'') is a former Cistercian monastery complex located in Bebenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The complex is also the location of Bebenhausen Palace, a hunting retreat created and maintained by two Ki ...

. The monastery's ponds and woods also throw an interesting light on the abbey's medieval economy. The abbey church of Saints Mary and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

– now St. George's parish church – was probably built between 1230/40 to 1280.

Recent abbots

Gerhard Wolter Molanus Gerhard Wolter Molanus (born Gerhard Wolter van Meulen; 1 November 1633 in Hameln (25 m. s.w. of Hanover) – 7 September 1722 at Loccum) was Lutheran theologian and abbot of Loccum. Biography He studied theology at Helmstedt; and in 1659 wa ...

(1677–1722) * Just Christopherus Böhmer (1722–1732) * (1732–1770) * (1770–1791) * (1791–1829) * (1830), vacant till 1832 * (1832–1876) * (1878–1901) * (1902–1927) * August Marahrens (1928–1950) *

Johannes Lilje Johannes (Hanns) Ernst Richard Lilje (20 August 1899, in Hannover – 6 January 1977, in Hannover) was German Lutheran bishop and one of the pioneers of the ecumenical movement. Lilje was general secretary of the German Student Christian Movement ...

(1950–1977) * (1977–2000) * (since 2000)

Burials

Valdemar of Denmark (bishop) Valdemar Knudsen (also ''Waldemar'', born in 1158; died 18 July 1236 in Cîteaux) was a Danish clergyman and statesman. Valdemar was Bishop of Schleswig from 1188 to 1208, officiated as Steward of the Duchy of Schleswig between 1184 and 1187, ...

Notes

Quoted in the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' without a reference.

References

* Hirschler, Horst, and Berneburg, Ernst (eds.), 1980. ''Geschichten aus dem Kloster Loccum. Studien, Bilder, Dokumente''. Hanover. * Siegmund, Johannes Jürgen, 2003. ''Bischof Johannes Lilje, Abt zu Loccum. Eine Biographie''. (also dissertation, Neuendettelsau, Kirchliche Hochschule, 2001). Göttingen.

External links

* {{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Lower Saxony 1160s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1163 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1160s Lutheran seminaries Lutheran monasteries in Germany Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Rehburg-Loccum