Ochsenhausen Abbey (formerly Ochsenhausen Priory; german: Reichskloster or ) 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
Ochsenhausen
Ochsenhausen () is a city in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located between the city of Biberach and Memmingen. it has a population of 8,916. The mayor of the town is Andreas Denzel.
History
For many centuries, ...
in the district of
Biberach in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
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
The traditional story of the foundation, in which there may be some elements of truth, is that in the 9th century there was a nunnery here called ''"Hohenhusen"'', which was abandoned at the time of the
Hungarian invasions in the early 10th century. A ploughing ox later turned up a chest of valuables buried by the nuns before their flight, and the monastery of Ochsenhausen was founded on that spot.
The first Abbey Church of Ochsenhausen was in fact dedicated in 1093. The monastery was initially a priory of
St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest
Saint Blaise Abbey (german: Kloster Sankt Blasien) was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in the village of Sankt Blasien, St. Blasien in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History 9th–12th centuries
The early hist ...
, but gained the status of an independent abbey in 1391. In 1495 it became ''
Reichsfrei
Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...
'' (territorially independent).
The abbey was
secularised
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
in 1803 and in 1806 its territories were absorbed into the
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
.
Much of the buildings still survive. They were extensively refurbished in the
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 ...
style, so much so that Ochsenhausen is sometimes referred to as ''"Himmelreich des Barocks"'' ("Baroque heaven"). The
landesakademie-ochsenhausen.de
/ref> is accommodated in part of them. The former abbey church is now the parish church of St. George's.
Images
File:OchsenhausenKloster.jpg , Former abbey church of St. George's, Ochsenhausen
File:Ochsenhausen Abbey.JPG , Ochsenhausen Abbey
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 001 Nave.JPG , Nave
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 003 altar of the cross.JPG , Altar of the Cross
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 004 altar of the cross.JPG , Crucifixion above Altar of the Cross
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 005 main altar.JPG , Main altar
Crowning of Mary
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 007 Organ.JPG , Organ
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 008 Pulpit.JPG , Pulpit
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 010 Pulpit.JPG , An angel carrying the pulpit
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 014 Madonna and child.JPG , Madonna and child
In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 023.JPG , Baroque frescos on the vault
File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 029 fresco veneration of monstrance.JPG , Fresco of the Veneration of the Monstrance
File:Säkularisation.JPG , Secularisation charter, February 1803
File:Imperial abbey of Ochsenhausen. Abbey church.jpg, Church of Ochsenhausen Abbey postcard issued c. 1910.
See also
*Lordship of Winneburg and Beilstein
The Lordship of Winneburg and Beilstein (German: ''Herrschaft Winneburg und Beilstein'') was a territory of the Holy Roman Empire made of non-contiguous parts located in the Moselle Valley around Winneburg Castle near Cochem, and Beilstein, on t ...
References
External links
*
Ochsenhausen Town Website
{{Coord, 48, 03, 51, N, 9, 57, 05, E, region:DE-BW_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title
Monasteries in Baden-Württemberg
Benedictine monasteries in Germany
Christian monasteries established in the 11th century
Swabian Circle
Imperial abbeys disestablished in 1802–03
Biberach (district)