Königsfelden Monastery is a former

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

double monastery, which housed both a community of Poor Clare nuns and one of

friars, living in separate wings, in the municipality of

Windisch Windisch may refer to: * Windisch (surname) (including a list of people with the name) * Windisch, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Aargau * Windisch (ethnonym), German word Wends for Slavs * Windisch Kamnitz, German name of Srbská Ka ...

in the canton of

Aargau Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capita ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It was founded in 1308 by the Habsburgs. In the course of the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Reformation in Switzerland in 1528 it was secularized, and the complex was then the residence of the

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

s of Bern. Since 1868 the former monastic buildings have served as a psychiatric clinic. The monastery church was converted into a museum in 2009. It contains a set of 14th-century

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows which, together with the windows in the Cathedral of Bern, are considered the most valuable in Switzerland.

History

On May 1, 1308, King Albert I of Germany was murdered by his nephew John Parricida in the community of Windisch. In memory of this event his widow, Elizabeth of Carinthia, founded the monastery about 1310-11 at the site, approximately from Brugg. The monastic complex centered around the contemplative life of the nuns, while the small community of friars tended to both their spiritual needs and that of the surrounding community. Albert and Elisabeth’s oldest daughter,

Agnes of Austria Agnes of Austria may also refer to: *Agnes of Austria (1154–1182), daughter of Henry II, Duke of Austria, married firstly Stephen III of Hungary, secondly to Herman II, Duke of Carinthia *Agnes of Austria (1281–1364), daughter of Albert I of Ge ...

, the widow of King Andrew III of Hungary, moved to Königsfelden in 1317 and helped it to thrive, but did not join the monastery.Queen Agnes and the convent
, Kanton Aargau With the conquest of the Western Aargau by the city of Bern, the monastery lost its connection with the Habsburg family. It was abolished in the course of the success of the Reformation in Switzerland in 1528. The complex then served as the seat of the Bernese

s of the Königsfelden district, a steward took over the administration of former monastic property. In 1804 the former monastery became the property of the canton of Aargau, which had been founded in the year before. The new canton established a mental hospital. In 1872 a new building was built and since 1887 it has been a psychiatric clinic. During the construction a large part of the Franciscan monastery was demolished.

Abbesses

*1310-1313 Elizabeth of Carinthia *about 1313 Hedwiga von Kuntzlau *1318-1324 Guta von Bachenstein *1329 Benigna von Bachenstein *about 1330

*about 1334 Adelheid I *about 1355 Elisabeth I von Leiningen *about 1371 Anna I von Goldenberg *1374-1383 Irmengard von Hohenberg *about 1405 Adelheid II von Hallwyl *1406-1408 Margaretha I von Wachingen *1411-1415 Margaretha II von Grünenberg *1416-1456 Elisabeth II von Leiningen *about 1456 Ursula von Mirlingen *about 1459 Eva von Erpach *about 1471 Osanna Jäger *1472-1492 Apollonia von Hohenberg *1497-1506 Anna II von Stein *1511-1513 Emerita Lutschern *1516-1528 Katherina von Waldburg

Burials

* Elizabeth of Carinthia, Queen of the Romans * Leopold the Glorious, Duke of Austria, and his wife,

Catherine of Savoy Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

* Henry the Friendly and his wife, Elizabeth of Virneburg *

, Queen of Hungary * Elizabeth of Austria, Duchess of Lorraine *Jutta of Austria, Countess of Öttingen

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigsfelden Monastery Burial sites of the House of Habsburg Christian monasteries in Switzerland Buildings and structures in Aargau Franciscan monasteries Poor Clare monasteries Museums in Aargau Monuments and memorials in Switzerland Christian monasteries established in the 14th century 14th-century establishments in Switzerland 1308 establishments in Europe 1528 disestablishments in Europe 16th-century disestablishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy Gothic architecture in Switzerland Churches in Aargau