St. Burchard's 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

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

, Germany, initially known as St. Andrew's Abbey. It was the first abbey established in Würzburg, founded ca. 750. In 1464, it was transformed into a ''

Stift 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 ...

''. Since the dissolution of the ''Stift'' in 1803, the abbey church has been used as the parish church St. Burkard.

History

St. Andrew's was founded by Bishop Burchard of Würzburg (742-53) on the left bank of the

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

at the foot of the Marienberg shortly after 748. It was the first abbey in Würzburg and initially dedicated to

Andrew the Apostle Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an Apostles in the New Testament, apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He ...

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and Magnus. It was known as St. Andrew's Abbey. Until ca. 788 it was also the seat of the clerics attached to the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

(then located on the peak of the Marienberg). In the 10th century, the monastery was deserted, having been transformed into a

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

at some point earlier. In 986, Hugo von Rothenburg, Bishop of Würzburg, refounded the abbey and once again called Benedictines to the place. He also moved the remains of Burchard to be reburied in the abbey's church, which was renamed St. Burchard. The old abbey building burned down around the year 1000. Only after around 1033, Abbot Willemund had the abbey church rebuilt in

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

. It was dedicated in 1042 in the presence of Emperor

Heinrich III Henry III may refer to: * Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (1017–1056) * King Henry III of Castile (1379–1406) * King Henry III of England (1207–1272) * King Henry III of France (1551–1589) * King Henry III of Navarre (1553–1610), also King ...

by Bishop Bruno of Würzburg. During the High Middle Ages the abbey was influenced by ideas from

Gorze Abbey Gorze Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gorze in the present arrondissement of Metz, near Metz in Lorraine. It was prominent as the source of a monastic reform movement in the 930s. History Gorze Abbey was founded in around 757 by Bishop Chrod ...

(ca. 1057) and

Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of B ...

(12th century). Construction included the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

(1168) under Abbot Engelhard and the polygonal topping-up of the two eastern towers (1249) under Abbot Konrad. Since its establishment, the abbey had been a proprietary monastery of the Bishop of Würzburg. It thus did not have a ''

Vogt During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...

''. The convent was completely made up of nobles. In late Medieval times life in the abbey significantly deviated from the Benedictine rule. Yielding to the request of the monks,

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...

, in a papal bull dated 4 February 1464, changed the abbey church into a

(''Ritterstift''), and permitted the former monks to remain as canons. The abbot, Johann von Allendorf, became ''

Probst : ''For the ecclesiastical title, see Propst (German) or Provost (English).'' Probst is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Christoph Probst (1919–1943), German resistance fighter * Eva Probst (1930–2018), German actress * ...

''. Through this change the abbey became the second noble ''Stift'' in Würzburg (next to the ''Domstift'' of the cathedral). The provost was henceforth always a member of the cathedral chapter. In 1495, a late-Gothic high altar was added. Around that time construction of the polygonal east choir and the transept started. However, few works of art survived the destruction caused by the

Peasants' War This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

of 1525. One of them was a Madonna by

Tilman Riemenschneider Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460 – 7 July 1531) was a German sculptor and woodcarver active in Würzburg from 1483. He was one of the most prolific and versatile sculptors of the transition period between late Gothic and Renaissance, a master i ...

(ca. 1490). Due to the possession of significant forest properties the abbey had sufficient income throughout its history. Nevertheless, debts were a problem from time to time. In the 16th century, "loose morals" among the then 18 canons became an issue. As a consequence, Bishop

Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn (18 March 1545 – 9 September 1617) was Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1573. He was born in Mespelbrunn Castle, Spessart (Lower Franconia) and died in Würzburg. Life He was educated in Mainz, Leuven, D ...

temporarily put St. Buchard under forced administration. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

the abbey wasa sacked by Swedish troops and the church was severely damaged. Only from 1667 did the ''Stift'' again have its own consecrated church. During the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

periods the canons focused on the pastoral care of its 17 parishes.

In 1663-7, Bishop

Johann Philipp von Schönborn Johann Philipp von Schönborn (6 August 1605 – 12 February 1673) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz (1647–1673), the Bishop of Würzburg (1642–1673), and the Bishop of Worms (1663–1673). Life Johann Philipp was born in ...

had the original west choir, western transept and western tower demolished to make room for a new fortification of the slopes beneath

Marienberg Fortress Marienberg Fortress (German: ''Festung Marienberg'') is a prominent landmark on the left bank of the Main river in Würzburg, in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. The mighty Fortress Marienberg is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a h ...

and a shipping canal. At that time the interior of the east choir and east transept was finished, the work having been repeatedly interrupted by war. In 1803, the abbey was dissolved in favour of the

Electorate of Bavaria The Electorate of Bavaria (german: Kurfürstentum Bayern) was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria. The Wittelsbach dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Ba ...

. At the time, it consisted of the provost, the dean, eight canons, nine ''Domizellare'' (aspirants to the position of canon) and twelve vicars who were responsible for the parish work. The abbey church (''Stiftskirche'') became a parish church. On 16 March 1945, during the Allied

Bombing of Würzburg in World War II The Bombing of Würzburg in World War II was a large-scale air attack on the city of Würzburg (in Franconia, in the north of Bavaria), and was part of the strategic bombing campaign by the Allies against Nazi Germany. Although lacking major ...

the church was mostly spared. The truss was burned as was the nave, but choir and transept survived. The church was re-opened in 1950.

Description

Church

The architectural features include Romanesque and Gothic ones. The Romanesque three-aisled nave, the two towers and the north portal from the times of the

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the la ...

are partially still extant. One feature that illustrates the transition to early-Gothic is a capital with reliefs now used as an offering box. The ''Katharinenglocke'' (bell) from the mid-13th century is the oldest extant bell in the diocese.

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: ** LINK, Klosterbuch der Diocese Würzburg, I (Würzburg, 1873), 105-8. ** WIELAND, Kloster und Ritterstift zu St. Burkard in Archiv des hist. Vereins fur Unterfranken, XV, fasc. 1-2. ** LINK, Klosterbuch, I (Würzburg, 1873), 395-402; ** LINDNER, Schriftsteller, O.S.B., in Bayern, 1750-1880, II (Ratisbon, 1880), 196-202. ** WIELAND, Dad Schottenkloster zu St. Jakob in Würzburg in Archiv des hist. Vereins fur Unterfranken, XVI, 21-182; LINK, Klosterbuch, I, 402-9.

External links

Website of the parish

History

Description

Church

References

External links

Further reading