The Kirchberg convent (also the Monastery Kirchberg) is a
monastery located in
Sulz am Neckar
Sulz am Neckar is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, 22 km north of Rottweil, and 19 km southeast of Freudenstadt.
Sulz am Neckar came in the possession of the Hohe ...
in
Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Germany. The monastery is considered to be one of the most historically important religious buildings in Baden-Wuerttemberg. It also ranks as one of the oldest, having been built in the early 13th century, and one of the first female church houses in central
Europe.
History
The Kirchberg monastery was a
convent built in 1237,
on the site of a former
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
. In 1245 the monastery was recognised by
Pope Innocent IV.
Over roughly the same period, the number of
nuns entering the convent went from around ten to sixty. This rise in the population of the convent can be credited in part to the apparent surge of 'religious awareness', with more women (of every class) wanting to live the life of a nun or at least one of piety in order to ensure that they remained spiritually healthy.
The convent continued its religious work for the next 500 years, despite the many changes that occurred in the area. However, after a secularisation that occurred in 1806, the monastery was virtually condemned to disuse: the nuns that were there were allowed to remain for the rest of their lives, but no more were allowed to join. The last nun left the monastery in 1865.
Today
Today, the monastery is used as any normal church house. It is the centre of the societies of the
Berneuchen Movement. Every morning, at 7:45am, a service of praise is held. At noon, a prayer service is held. Another is held at 6pm, and then at 9pm. These sessions are respectively known as
Lauds
Lauds is a canonical hour of the Divine office. In the Roman Rite Liturgy of the Hours it is one of the major hours, usually held after Matins, in the early morning hours.
Name
The name is derived from the three last psalms of the psalter (148, ...
,
Sext,
Vespers and
Compline
Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times.
The English wo ...
.
Celebration of
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
also takes place at the monastery every Sunday and Thursday.
As of 2007, the minister of the Kirchberg monastery is pastor Peter Schwarz.
See also
*
Berneuchen Movement
Footnotes
References
http://www.klosterkirchberg.de/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirchberg Convent
Monasteries in Baden-Württemberg
Convents in Germany
1230s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1237 establishments in Europe
Christian monasteries established in the 13th century
Dominican monasteries in Germany