Heisterbach Abbey (Kloster Heisterbach; also Petersthal, formerly Petersberg) was a

Cistercian 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 ...

monastery in the ''

Siebengebirge The (), occasionally Sieben Mountains or Seven Mountains, are a hill range of the German Central Uplands on the east bank of the Middle Rhine, southeast of Bonn. Description The area, located in the municipalities of Bad Honnef and König ...

'' near

Oberdollendorf Oberdollendorf is a municipal district of Königswinter, a city in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The vineyards which dominate the town are part of the Mittelrhein wine region. Geography The town is situated betw ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

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 ...

Petersberg

The tradition of its origin is that a knight named Walther lived as a hermit on the Stromberg, also known as the

Petersberg Petersberg may refer to: * The Hotel Petersberg near Bonn, the site of the ** Petersberg Agreement, 1949, regarding the international status of West Germany. ** Petersberg tasks, 1992 and 1997, regarding European security cooperation. Also known a ...

, one of the mountains forming the Siebengebirge. When numerous disciples began to settle near his cell, he built a monastery in 1134, where the community lived according to the Rule of St. Augustine. After the death of Walther however his disciples left the monastery on the Petersberg and built another on the Sulz. In 1189 Philip, Archbishop of Cologne, requested Gisilbert, abbot of the Cistercian

Himmerod Abbey Himmerod Abbey (Kloster Himmerod) is a Cistercian monastery in the community of Großlittgen in the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Manderscheid in the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located in the Eifel, in the valley ...

in the Bishopric of Trier, to re-settle the deserted monastery of Petersberg with Cistercians from Himmerod. On 22 March 1189, therefore, twelve Cistercian monks with the newly appointed Abbot Hermann took possession of it.

Heisterbach

Three or four years later they moved to the foot of the mountain, where they built a new monastery which they called Petersthal or Heisterbach, which was the name which prevailed. The famous

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

of Heisterbach was begun by Abbot Gerard (1195–1208), and consecrated in 1237 under Abbot Henry (1208–1244). Being built during the period of transition from the Romanesque round arch to the

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 ...

pointed arch, its style of architecture was a combination of the Romanesque and the Gothic. Heisterbach, which had large possessions and drew revenues from many neighbouring towns, remained one of the most flourishing Cistercian monasteries until its suppression in 1803. The library and the archives were given to the city of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

; the monastery and the church were sold and torn down in 1809, and only the apse with the ruins of the choir remains.

Caesarius of Heisterbach

Caesarius of Heisterbach, one of the best-known members of the Cistercian Order, was a monk at this abbey (1199–c. 1240). A monument was erected in his honour near the ruins in 1897.

External links

Stiftung Heisterbach

Literature

*Caesarius von Heisterbach: ''Dialogus Miraculorum – Dialog über die Wunder''. Nikolaus Nösges and Horst Schneider eds.,5 vols. Latin and German. Brepols Publishers, Turnhout 2009, {{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Germany Monasteries in North Rhine-Westphalia 1130s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1134 establishments in Europe Königswinter Religious organizations established in the 1130s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Ruined abbeys and monasteries Ruins in Germany Buildings and structures in Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Religious buildings and structures completed in 1134