Medingen Abbey or Medingen Convent (german: link=no, Kloster Medingen) is a former Cistercian nunnery. Today it is a residence for women of the Protestant Lutheran faith (german: link=no,

Damenstift The term (; nl, sticht) is derived from the verb (to donate) and originally meant 'a donation'. Such donations usually comprised earning assets, originally landed estates with serfs defraying dues (originally often in kind) or with vassal tenan ...

) near the Lower Saxon town of Bad Bevensen and is supervised by the Monastic Chamber of Hanover (''Klosterkammer Hannover''). The current director of the abbey (''Äbtissin'') is the art historian Dr Kristin Püttmann.

History

A founding legend ascribes the convent's origins to a

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

called Johannes; the convent's history from its founding to the election of abbess Margaretha Puffen was formerly depicted in a cycle of 15 painted wooden boards, that were destroyed in the fire of 1781; the only surviving copy is the affix in Johann Ludolf Lyßman's ''Historische Nachrichten'' (1772). The legend has it that Johannes claimed divine guidance in his quest to build the new convent. The community was founded 1228 in Restorf am Höhbeck by Johannes and four nuns who joined him in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

, but the group did not stay there. For unknown reasons, they moved on to Plate near

Lüchow Lüchow (Wendland) () is a city in northeastern Lower Saxony, in Germany. It is the seat of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Lüchow (Wendland), and is the capital of the district Lüchow-Dannenberg. Situated approximately 13&nb ...

and later Bohndorf, before they eventually settled in

Altenmedingen Altenmedingen is a municipality in the district of Uelzen, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...

, where the first buildings were consecrated on 24 August 1241. The military road passing through the convent yard presented an ever-present danger of attacks or arson, so the convent decided to move one last time, to the village of Zellensen, today's Medingen. The new church was consecrated on 24 August 1336. 1479 saw the advent of the convent reforms under the influence of the ''

devotio moderna Devotio Moderna (Latin; lit., Modern Devotion) was a movement for religious reform, calling for apostolic renewal through the rediscovery of genuine pious practices such as humility, obedience, and simplicity of life. It began in the late 14th-cen ...

''. Many convents at that time did not follow the Cistercian rule very strictly; nuns were allowed to keep their belongings and keep in touch with their relatives once they joined the convent. The Cistercian order was re-established and the prioress Margarete Puffen was made an

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

in 1494. After the reforms, a

scriptorium Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes. However, lay scribes an ...

became one of the focal points of the convent and to this day a large number of manuscripts found worldwide can be attributed to the sixteenth-century nuns of Medingen. Hymns (''Leisen'') noted down in these texts are still part of both Catholic and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

hymnbook A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...

s today, e.g. in the current German Protestant hymnal ' EG 23 " Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ", EG 100 "Wir wollen alle fröhlich sein" and EG 214 "

Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet" (God be praised and blessed) is a Lutheran hymn of 1524 with words written by Martin Luther who used an older first stanza and melody. It is a song of thanks after communion. Luther's version in three stanzas was ...

", even though they were wrongly dated to the 14th century by the music historian Walther Lipphardt. Lyssmann-panel14

The

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

attempted to be introduced in Medingen in 1524, was met with resistance from the nuns. They hid their

confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.Lutheran bible The Luther Bible (german: Lutherbibel) is a German language Bible translation from Latin sources by Martin Luther. The New Testament was first published in September 1522, and the complete Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocry ...

and almost faced the dissolution of the convent. In 1541, the

Uelzen Uelzen (; officially the ''Hanseatic Town of Uelzen'', German: ''Hansestadt Uelzen'', , Low German ''Ülz’n'') is a town in northeast Lower Saxony, Germany, and capital of the county of Uelzen. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, a ...

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non ...

'' decided to ensure the economic security of Medingen and the five other convents nearby. This was in the nobility's interests, because their unmarried daughters could benefit from the livelihood and education befitting their status. In 1542, all of the convent's goods and earnings were confiscated and contact between the nuns and their family was prohibited. The

, Margareta von Stöterogge, did not give in to the demands of bringing all remaining property to Celle, but rather went to

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the L ...

for two years, taking the convent's archive and valuables with her. It took her brother, Nikolaus von Stöterogge, to convince her finally to accept the communion under both forms. Eventually, in 1554, the convent became Protestant and from then on, the ''Klosterordnung'' (convent order) was defined by the ''Landesherr'' or

territorial lord A territorial lord (german: Landesherr) was a ruler in the period beginning with the Early Middle Ages who, stemming from his status as being immediate (''unmittelbar''), held a form of authority over a territory known as ''Landeshoheit''. This a ...

. After the Reformation had been introduced, life changed drastically: The incumbents were now allowed to marry, but had to leave the convent when they did so. In 1605, they replaced the traditional Cistercian

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

with an attire in accordance with the convent order introduced by

Duke William ''Duke William'' was a ship which served as a troop transport at the Siege of Louisbourg and as a deportation ship in the Île Saint-Jean Campaign of the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Seven Years' War. While ''Duke William'' was transport ...

in 1574. 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 ...

left its mark on the convent and its surrounding area. A new convent order was introduced by ''Kurfürst'' (

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

) George Louis in 1706. Most of the convent buildings were destroyed in a fire in January 1781, although valuable possessions like the archives and the abbesses'

crosier A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Cathol ...

from 1494 were able to be salvaged. The ruins were demolished in 1782 and the convent re-built in the early neoclassic style. Completed in 1788, the new buildings were consecrated on 24 August.

List of heads of convent

Cultural heritage

A large number of medieval

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

s were produced in Medingen, 44 of which have survived and are conserved all over the world. The nuns enhanced the liturgy written in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

with Low German prayers and songs, producing unique compilations of illuminated texts that were important to them as well as the noblewomen in the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the brewery (german: link=no, Brauhaus), built in 1397, survived the fire of 1781 and can still be seen today. It attests to the fact that the convent was originally built in the Brick Gothic style.''Historisches Brauhaus und ehemaliges Knechtshaus / Historic Brewery and Former Servants' House''
at www.kloster-medingen.de. Retrieved on 4 June 2013

References

*Achten, Gerard: De Gebedenboeken van de Cistercienserinnenkloosters Medingen en Wienhausen, in: ''Miscellanea Neerlandica 3'' (= FS Jan Deschamps), 1987, pp. 173–188. *Brohmann, Friedrich: Geschichte von Bevensen und Kloster Medingen, 1928. *Hascher-Burger, Ulrike / Lähnemann, Henrike: Liturgie und Reform in Kloster Medingen. Edition und Untersuchung des Propst-Handbuchs Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Lat. liturg. e. 18 (''Spätmittelalter und Reformation. Neue Reihe''), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013 (in press). *Heutger, Nicolaus Carl: Kloster Medingen in der Lüneburger Heide, in: 'Cistercienser Chronik.' Forum für Geschichte, Kunst, Literatur und Spiritualität des Mönchtums, Vol. 101 (1994), pp. 15–18 *Homeyer, Joachim
750 Jahre Kloster Medingen.
Kleine Beiträge zur frühen Klostergeschichte. (Schriften zur Uelzener Heimatkunde, hg. v. Hans E. Seidat, H. 3), Uelzen, 1978. *Homeyer, Joachim
Kloster Medingen, die Gründungslegende und ihre historischen Elemente
in: Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für niedersächsische Kirchengeschichte 79 (1981), pp. 9–60. *Homeyer, Joachim (Hg.)
Kloster Medingen 1788 – 1988, 200 Jahre Neubau.
Kleine Beiträge zum Jubiläum. Uelzen, 1988 *Homeyer, Joachim: Urkundenbuch des Klosters Medingen. Hahn, Hannover 2006, . *Homeyer, Joachim
500 Jahre Äbtissinnen in Medingen
(Schriften zur Uelzener Heimatkunde, hg.v. von Horst Hoffmann, H. 11), Uelzen, 1994. *Krüger, Nilüfer: Niederdeutsches Osterorationale aus Medingen, in: ''FS für Horst Gronemeyer zum 60. Geburtstag'', hg.v. Herald Weigel, Herzberg, 1993, pp. 179–201. * Lähnemann, Henrike: An dessen bom wil ik stighen. Die Ikonographie des Wichmannsburger Antependiums im Kontext der Medinger Handschriften, in: Oxford German Studies 34 (2005), pp. 19–46. * Lähnemann, Henrike/ Linden, Sandra
Per organa. Musikalische Unterweisung in Handschriften der Lüneburger Klöster
in: ''Dichtung und Didaxe.'' Lehrhaftes Sprechen in der deutschen Literatur des Mittelalters, Berlin/New York, 2009, p. 397-412. * Lähnemann, Henrike: Die Erscheinungen Christi nach Ostern in Medinger Handschriften, in: ''Medialität des Heils im späten Mittelalter'', ed. by Carla Dauven-van Knippenberg, Cornelia Herberichs, and Christian Kiening, Chronos, 2009 (Medienwandel – Medienwechsel – Medienwissen 10), pp. 189–202. * Lähnemann, Henrike: Schnipsel, Schleier, Textkombinatorik. Die Materialität der Medinger Orationalien, in: ''Materialität in der Editionswissenschaft'', ed. by Martin Schubert, Tübingen, 2010 (Beihefte zu editio), pp. 135–146. *Lyßmann, Johann Ludolf, gewesenen Predigers zu Closter Meding, und nachherigen Superintendenten zu Fallersleben
Historische Nachricht von dem Ursprunge, Anwachs und Schicksalen des im Lüneburgischen Herzogthum belegenen Closters Meding, dessen Pröbsten, Priorinnen und Abbatißinnen, auch fürnehmsten Gebräuchen und Lutherischen Predigern &c. nebst darzu gehörigen Urkunden und Anmerkungen bis auf das Jahr 1769 fortgesetzt.
Mit Kupfern. Halle, 1772.
Digital version
*Stork, Hans-Walter: Die mittelalterlichen Handschriften des ehemaligen Zisterzienserinnenklosters Medingen zur Zeit der Klosterreform im 15. Jahrhundert und in nachreformatorischer Zeit., in: Otte, Hans (ed.): ''Evangelisches Klosterleben.'' Studien zur Geschichte der evangelischen Klöster und Stifte in Niedersachsen, Göttingen 2013, pp. 337 – 360. *Vogtherr, Thomas: Medingen, in: Dolle, Josef (ed.): ''Niedersächsisches Klosterbuch.'' Verzeichnis der Klöster, Stifte, Kommenden und Beginenhäuser in Niedersachsen und Bremen von den Anfängen bis 1810. Marienthal bis Zeven (Vol. 3), Bielefeld 2012, pp. 1044–1050. *Wehking, Sabine
Die Inschriften der Lüneburger Klöster. Ebstorf, Isenhagen, Lüne, Medingen, Walsrode, Wienhausen
(Die Deutschen Inschriften 76 = Die deutschen Inschriften: Göttinger Reihe 13) Wiesbaden 2009.

External links

Website of the Convent
* ttp://www.lueneburger-heide.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/1738_Medingen_Das_Kloster__Ausflugsziel_Staette_der_Kulturbe.html Artikle on Medingenon the Lüneburg Heath website
Article on Medingen
on the NDR website
on the Medingen Manuscripts and extensive bibliographyBlog entry on a Medingen manuscript
now in the Bodleian Library of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

{{Authority control Brick Gothic Christian monasteries established in the 13th century Cistercian monasteries in Germany Lüneburg Heath Lutheran women's convents Monasteries in Lower Saxony Neoclassicism de:Medingen (Bad Bevensen)

History

List of heads of convent

Cultural heritage

References

Further reading

External links