Buxheim Charterhouse (german: Reichskartause Buxheim) was formerly a monastery of the

Carthusians The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

(the largest

charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

in GermanyKlöster in Bayern: Buxheim) and is now a monastery of the

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

. It is situated in Buxheim near

Memmingen Memmingen (; Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Wü ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

History

The estate of Buxheim belonged from the mid-10th century to the chapter of

Augsburg Cathedral The Cathedral of Augsburg (German: ''Dom Mariä Heimsuchung'') is a Roman Catholic church in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style, but with 14th-century Gothic additions. Together with the Basilica of St. U ...

, who in about 1100 founded a house of canons here, dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

. In 1402, after a long period of decline, in an extreme move to preserve it the then provost, Heinrich von Ellerbach, gave the establishment to the Carthusians, a move which proved extremely successful in reviving Buxheim both spiritually and economically. Its wealth however drew the hostile attentions of the nearby city of

, which occupied the monastery in 1546 during the

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 ...

, and impounded its property. Prior Dietrich Loher was able by skilful diplomacy to obtain the favour of

Emperor Charles V Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) ...

, and in 1548 the monastery was declared ''

reichsfrei Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...

'', and thus independent of all territorial authority save that of the Emperor himself, under whose protection it stood; it was the only charterhouse (''Reichskartause'') in Germany ever to be granted that status. It was dissolved in the

secularisation 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 ...

of 1802, when ownership passed first to the Counts of Ostein, who allowed the community to remain, and then in 1809 by inheritance to the Counts Waldbott von Bassenheim, who from 1812 used the premises as a castle. In 1916 the state took over the buildings, which in 1926 were acquired by the Salesians.

Buildings

Parts of the monastery buildings were refurbished by

Dominikus Zimmermann Dominikus Zimmermann (30 June 1685, Gaispoint – 16 November 1766, Wies) was a German Rococo architect and stuccoist. Life Dominikus Zimmermann was born in Gaispoint near Wessobrunn in 1685 and became a Baumeister (Architect) and a stuc ...

in the

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style: the monastic church, St. Anne's chapel in the cloisters, and also the nearby parish church.

The Buxheim Carvings

A masterpiece of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

carving, the

choir stalls A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the sanctuary, which houses the altar and Church tab ...

in the chapel with their rich ornament and figurative decoration, known as the Buxheim Carvings, are still almost complete. Created between 1687 and 1691 by the

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

ean sculptor and woodcarver Ignaz Waibl, they are of international significance. The carvings have a varied history. They were sold to a

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the Ba ...

and subsequently installed in St. Saviour's Hospital, Osnaburgh Street, London, while it was run by the Community of the Epiphany, an order of

Anglican nuns Anglicanism is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Euro ...

. The sisters later withdrew to

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and their work was taken over by another Anglican order, the Community of the Presentation. In 1960 the sisters relocated to their other convent at

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is a coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the district of Folkestone and Hythe on the south coast of Kent. The word ''Hythe'' or ''Hithe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The town has m ...

, taking the carvings with them. The community dwindled in size and was forced to hand the hospital over to a charitable trust. The sisters decided to return the carvings to Buxheim, which finally took place in the early 1980s. The Reverend Mother of the Presentation Sisters attended a special repatriation ceremony, and was awarded the Freedom of the City of Buxheim, only the second person ever to receive that honour.See full history by Bruce Tait i
Hythe Civic Society Newsletter, edition 153 (2010).
/ref> File:Klosterbuxheim stannakapelle.jpg , St. Anne's Chapel, by

File:Klosterbuxheim chorgestuehl.jpg , Choir stalls, St. Anne's Chapel, by Ignaz Waibl File:Klosterbuxheim refektorium.jpg , Refectory, with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ceiling

References

External links

Haus der Bayerishen Geschichte: Klöster in Bayern: Buxheim
{{Authority control Carthusian monasteries in Germany Salesian monasteries Monasteries in Bavaria 1100s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Imperial abbeys disestablished in 1802–03 Christian monasteries established in the 11th century 1548 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire

History

Buildings

The Buxheim Carvings

References

Further reading

External links