Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

in western

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 ...

History

Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim.

Sponheim Abbey

There 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 ...

abbey which was founded in 1101 by Stephan II, Count of Sponheim not far from the comital residence at

Castle Sponheim {{Infobox building , name = Sponheim Castle , native_name = ''Burg Sponheim'' , image = File:Ruine der Burg Sponheim bei Kreuznach (inproved) JC Scheuren.JPG , caption = J. C. Scheuren, Ruins of Sponheim Cast ...

. Johannes Trithemius was one of the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

s. Traveling from university to his home town in 1482, he was surprised by a

snowstorm A winter storm is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental climates, these storms are not necessar ...

and took refuge in the Benedictine abbey of Sponheim near Bad Kreuznach. He decided to stay and was elected

in 1483, at the age of twenty-one. In his time, the abbey

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

increased from around fifty items to more than two thousand. However, his efforts were not met with praise, and his reputation as a magician did not further his acceptance. Increasing differences with the

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

led to his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

in 1506.

References

Bad Kreuznach (district) {{BadKreuznach-geo-stub

History

Sponheim Abbey

See also

References