Marmoutier Abbey, otherwise Maursmünster Abbey, was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Marmoutier :''See Marmoutier Abbey (Tours) for the former abbey in Tours.'' Marmoutier (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin département in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The origin of the place is the former Marmoutier Abbey, of which the abbey church st ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. The former abbey church now serves as the village's parish church.

History

The first foundation by Saint Leobard around 590, was a community of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

monks under the Rule of St. Columbanus. Then known as Aquileia, after the town in Italy, it was one of the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

abbeys and a '' Reichsabtei''. About 724

Saint Pirmin Saint Pirmin (latinized ''Pirminius'', born before 700 ( according to many sources), died November 3, 753 in Hornbach), was a Merovingian-era monk and missionary. He founded or restored numerous monasteries in Alemannia (Swabia), especially in ...

reformed the Columban monasteries in Alsace, including this one, introducing the

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

. The first abbot under the new rule was Maurus,Great Britain. Naval Intelligence Division. ''A Manual of Alsace-Lorraine'', Volume 2, H.M. Stationery Office, 1919, p. 176
/ref> from whom the place took the name of Maursmünster in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, of which Marmoutier is the French version. Marmoutier abbey was rebuilt in the ninth century by

Drogo of Metz Drogo (17 June 801 – 8 December 855), also known as Dreux or Drogon, was an illegitimate son of Frankish emperor Charlemagne by the concubine Regina. Early life and family Drogo was born on 17 June 801 at Aachen, Gaul (Aix-La-Chappelle). The ...

. Under Abbot Meinhard and his successors in the 12th century, the abbey enjoyed a long period of growth and prosperity, including the consolidation of the large territory. In the 12th century the abbey church of St. Stephen's was built, which still stands today as an imposing Romanesque church. The west end, with its three massive towers, is especially striking. In the 13th and 14th centuries the abbey began to decline, becoming involved in long wrangles over its properties, mostly with the family of Geroldseck, lords of the town of Maursmünster, now Marmoutier, that had grown up round the abbey. The abbey was also badly damaged during the German Peasants' War in 1525, when a mob ransacked the building and destroyed the library, and again in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, when it was plundered by

Ernst von Mansfeld Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld (german: Peter Ernst Graf von Mansfeld; c. 158029 November 1626), or simply Ernst von Mansfeld, was a German military commander who, despite being a Catholic, fought for the Protestants during the early years of the ...

's soldiers in 1621. Under the Peace of Westphalia at the end of the war (1648), Alsace was transferred to France. The latter part of the 17th century saw a revival of the abbey's fortunes, and in the 18th century, particularly under abbots Anselm Moser and Placid Schweighäuser, re-building was undertaken, including the quire of the church in the 1760s. However, the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

saw the dissolution of the monastery and the demolition or sale of all its buildings. The church survives as the parish church, and other monastic buildings now serve as the presbytery and the ''

mairie In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

''. The church is located on the '' Route Romane d'Alsace''. With a total length of , it is one of the most imposing Christian sanctuaries in that part of Alsace.

References

Sources

* Will, R. (intro by H. Haug), 1966. ''Das romanische Elsass'', pp. 143–211. Zodiaque (German edition). * Goldinger, Walter, 1938. ''Die Verfassung des Klosters Maursmünster im Elsaß,'' in: ''Zeitschrift für die Geschichte des Oberrheins'', 90, 1938.

External links

Alsace-Passion.com: St. Etienne's church, Marmoutier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marmoutier Christian monasteries in Bas-Rhin Benedictine monasteries in France Imperial abbeys Christian monasteries established in the 7th century Irish monastic foundations in continental Europe Monuments historiques of Bas-Rhin