Arnstein Abbey (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Kloster Arnstein'') is a former

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

on the

Lahn The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km). It has its source in t ...

River, south of present-day

Obernhof Obernhof is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Lahn, in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in E ...

near

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is now a monastery of the

Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary () abbreviated SS.CC., is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men priests and brothers. The congregation is also known as the Picpus because their firs ...

(SS.CC.), known in Germany as the "Arnsteiner Fathers" (''Arnsteiner Patres''), who maintain a youth retreat center there.

History

The history of the monastery dates back to the second half of the 11th century. In 1052, an Arnstein Castle on the Lahn is first mentioned as the seat of the Counts of Arnstein. This is the oldest mention of any castle on the river. Nothing remains of the structures of that period. In 1139 Louis (''Ludwig'') III, the last Count of Arnstein, transformed his castle into a Premonstratensian monastery and himself joined the order. His wife lived until her death as hermit near the monastery. In the same year, Lugwig began the partial demolition of the castle. In 1145, King Conrad III confirmed the abbey as directly under the Empire. From 1236, a branch monastery, Keppel Abbey at

Hilchenbach Hilchenbach () is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein '' Kreis'' (district) of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Hilchenbach is about northeast of Siegen. The town borders in the south on Netphen, in the west on Kreuztal, in the ...

, was established under the patronage of the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count o ...

. Burials in the monastery include Count

Walram I of Nassau Walram I of Nassau, german: Walram I. von Nassau (Dek (1970).Van de Venne & Stols (1937). – 1 February 1198Hesselfelt (1965).Vorsterman van Oyen (1882).), also known as Walram I of Laurenburg, was Count of Nassau and is the oldest Nassau wh ...

in 1198. Walram's grandson Henry (''Heinrich'') (son of Count

Henry II of Nassau Henry II "the Rich" of Nassau, german: Heinrich II. "der Reiche" von Nassau (Cawley.Dek (1970). – 26 April 1247/48/49/50, before 25 January 1251) was Count of Nassau. He distinguished himself in particular by his chivalrous and devout spirit. He ...

) became a monk in Arnstein Abbey in 1247. In 1360, the monastery church was completed. The structure includes individual components which have been dated to the 12th century. With the conversion of the Princes of Nassau to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

in the 16th century, the

Archbishopric of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.secularization In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

and came into the possession of the Principality of

Nassau-Weilburg The House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, ruled a division of the County of Nassau, which was a state in what is now Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1344 to 1806. On 17 July 1806, upon the dissolution of t ...

. In 1919 the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary established Arnstein as their first monastery in Germany. The Superior and Vice-Provincial of the monastery, Pater Alfons Spix, died in 1942 in the

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

, because he let the Polish forced laborers participate in worship and gave them breakfast. In October 2015 the order informed the dioceses that they will leave the abbey at the end of 2018 citing personal and financial resources as the reason.

References

External links

Arnstein Abbey

Arnsteiner Fathers
{{Authority control Monasteries in Rhineland-Palatinate History of Rhineland-Palatinate 1130s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1139 establishments in Europe 1130s establishments in Germany