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Göss Abbey (german: Stift Göß) is a former Benedictine nunnery and former Cathedral in Göss, now a part of Leoben in
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, Austria. After the abbey's dissolution in 1782 the church, now a parish church, was the seat of the short-lived
Bishopric of Leoben In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
.


History

The nunnery was founded in 1004 by Adula or Adela of Leoben, wife of Count Aribo I, and her son, also called Aribo, the future
Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...
, on the family's ancestral lands, and was settled by canonesses from Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg. The first abbess was Kunigunde, sister of Archbishop Aribo. It was made an Imperial abbey by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1020. The Benedictine Rule was introduced in the 12th century. Göss Abbey functioned for centuries as a centre for the
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
n aristocracy to have their daughters educated and if necessary accommodated, and entry was strictly limited to members of the nobility. The nunnery, the last remaining Imperial abbey on
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
lands, was dissolved in 1782 in the course of the rationalist reforms of
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
, and from 1786 served for a short time as the seat of the newly founded
Bishopric of Leoben In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
, of which the former abbey church, dedicated to
Saint 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 of ...
and
Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...
, was the cathedral. The first and only bishop died in 1800, and from 1808 the diocese was administered by the Bishops of Seckau until it was formally abolished in 1859. In 1827 the premises were auctioned off and acquired by the wheelwrights' co-operative of
Vordernberg Vordernberg is a municipality in the district of Leoben in the Austrian state of Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , S ...
, who were primarily interested in the forests of the former abbey's estates. In 1860 the buildings were acquired by a brewer from
Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popu ...
(the nunnery had had its own brewer since 1459) and have since then been used as a brewery, the ''Brauerei Göß''.


Buildings and contents

The former abbey church, briefly the cathedral of Leoben, is now used as a parish church. It is a large late
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
building containing an early Romanesque
crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a ...
beneath the
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...
, some important early
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
frescoes in the chapel of
Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
in the Zackenstil or "zigzag style", and an imposing roof. The famous Göss
chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Easter ...
(''Gößer Ornat''), a valuable piece of Romanesque silk embroidery, is now preserved in the Museum für angewandte Kunst in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. Now lost are the former parish church, the graveyard and the buildings formerly to the west of the abbey church. The ''Brunnhöfl'' ("fountain courtyard"), still largely extant, is well known. A curiosity on display in the premises is a rare specimen of a reusable coffin of 1784 with an opening bottom that deposited the bodies inside into a common grave. A product of Josephine rationalism, the intention was to save local authorities the expense of coffins in pauper funerals, but it was a deeply unpopular measure and the coffins were withdrawn after only a few months.see :de:Josephinischer Gemeindesarg


Abbesses of Göss

*Kunigund I, 1020–1027 *Wilburgis, 1040 *Richardis, 1066 *Margaretha, sometime in the 2nd half of the 11th century *Hemma, sometime between 1100 and 1146 * Adelheid of Spanheim, 1146–1177 *Ottilie I of Guttenberg, 1188–1203 *Ottilie II, 1203–1230 *Kunigund II, 1239–1269 *Herburgis von Ehrenfels, 1271–1283 *Euphemia, 1283–1298 *Herradis von Breitenfurt, 1298–1322 *Berta von Pux und Pranckh, 1322–1338 *Diemut, 1340–1349 *Katharina von Strettweg, 1349–1354 *Gertraut von Hannau, 1355–1372 *Katharina von Truthan, 1381–1398 *Aloisia von Herberstorf, 1399–1421 *Gertrud von Helfenberg, 1421–1428 *Anna von Herberstorf, 1428–1463 *Bennigna Grassler, 1470–1474 *Ursula von Silberberg, 1474–1497 *Margaretha von Harbach, 1497–1505 *Veronika von Ratmanstorf, 1505–1514 *Margaretha von Mindorf, 1514–1523 *Barbara von Spangstein, 1523–1543 *Amalia von Leisser, 1543–1566 *Barbara von Liechtenstein, 1566–1573 *Anna von Harrach, 1573–1576 *Florientina von Putterer, 1576–1602 *Regina von Schrattenbach, 1602–1611 *Margaretha von Kuenburg, 1611–1640 *Maria Johanna von Kollonitsch, 1640–1657 *Maria Benedikta von Schrattenbach, 1657–1695 *Katharina Benedikta von Stürgkh, 1695–1706 *Maria Mechthildis von Berchthold, 1706–1737 *Maria Antonia von Überacker, 1737–1751 *Maria Henrica von Poppen, 1751–1779 *Maria Gabriela von Schaffmann, 1779–1782


Notes


External links


Bundesdenkmalamt (BDA): Stift Göss
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goss Abbey Benedictine monasteries in Austria Monasteries in Styria 1004 establishments in Europe Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Religious organizations established in the 1000s Benedictine nunneries in Austria Tourist attractions in Styria 1020s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1020 establishments in Europe 1782 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire Roman Catholic cathedrals in Austria