Rheinau Abbey
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Rheinau Abbey (Kloster Rheinau) 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
Rheinau Rheinau may refer to: *Rheinau, Switzerland, a town in the canton of Zürich *Rheinau Abbey, in Rheinau, Switzerland *Rheinau (Baden), a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany *a part of Mannheim, Germany {{geodis ...
in the
Canton of Zürich The canton of Zürich (german: Kanton Zürich ; rm, Chantun Turitg; french: Canton de Zurich; it, Canton Zurigo) is a Swiss canton in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton in the ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, founded in about 778 and suppressed in 1862. It is located on an island in the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
.


History

The foundation of the abbey, on a strategically sheltered bend of the Rhine, is supposed to have taken place in about 778. In the ninth century, the community number forty-three, about half of whom were ordained priests. St. Findan was from Ireland; after escaping Viking slavers, he lived at the abbey as a hermit for twenty-two years. In 1114 a Romanesque
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
was dedicated here and in 1120 the still extant archive begun. The early history of the abbey, like that of many others, consists of an alternation between generous endowments and privileges from the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
s, and oppression and fraud from the ''"
Vögte 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 ...
"'' (lords protector). In 1126 Count Rudolf of
Lenzburg Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the Lenzburg District. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg and the neigh ...
founded the adjoining settlement of Rheinau. The abbey’s scriptorium flourished in the twelfth century. Against the increasingly aggressive territorial claims of the Counts of Sulz the abbey made a treaty in 1455 with the
Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...
, which was intended to protect it against further attacks by the noble families of the
Klettgau Klettgau (High Alemannic: ''Chleggau'') is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the centre of the ''Klettgau'' historical region stretching across the Swiss border into the cantons of Aargau, Schaffhau ...
. In 1529 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 ...
swept in from
Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
and overwhelmed the abbey, which was abandoned shortly afterwards. It was re-established however in 1532, and became a centre of 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 ...
. In the 18th century under Abbot Gerold II Zurlauben, Rheinau Abbey, like
St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...
, enjoyed a late resurgence. Abbot Gerold II Zurlauben had the monastic complex (in construction up to 1744) magnificently re-built 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, much as they appear today.
Franz Beer Franz Beer (3 July 1659 – 19 January 1726), also known as Franz Beer von Blaichten, was an Austrian architect during the Baroque period, mainly working on church buildings at monasteries in southern Germany, chiefly in Upper Swabia, and Swit ...
worked on the abbey church which was re-dedicated 1710.Curl, James Stevens and Wilson, Susan. "Beer Family", ''The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture'', OUP Oxford, 2015
During the turmoil of 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
and the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the abbey was temporarily suspended, but restored in 1803. The abbey's territory with the little town of Rheinau were added to the newly restored Canton of Zürich, which placed it under cantonal supervision in 1834 and from 1836 prevented it from accepting new novices. In 1862 the cantonal council decreed the dissolution of the abbey. From 1603 until its dissolution the abbey was a member of the
Swiss Congregation The Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation is a grouping of Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland or with significant historical Swiss connections. Foundation The Congregation was founded, at the urging of the Papal legate to Switz ...
, now part of the
Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...
. loster Rheina


After dissolution

In 1867 in the abbey buildings a cantonal hospital and nursing home were set up. The later cantonal psychiatric clinic that developed here was closed in 2000, since when the buildings have stood empty.
Rheinau-Benediktinerabtei-04-2006-gje.jpg Rheinau-Benediktinerabtei-06-Westfassade-2006-gje.jpg Rheinau-Benediktinerabtei-10-Turm-2006-gje.jpg Rheinau-Benediktinerabtei-14-zum Chor-2006-gje.jpg Rheinau-Benediktinerabtei-18-zum Chor-2006-gje.jpg Rheinau-04-Holzbruecke-2006-gje.jpg


References


External links

*
Rheinau Abbey: history and pictures
{{Coord, 47, 38, 32, N, 8, 36, 30, E, region:CH-ZH_type:landmark, display=title Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland Buildings and structures in the canton of Zürich Churches in the canton of Zürich Islands of the Rhine River islands of Switzerland Christian monasteries established in the 8th century 8th-century establishments in Switzerland 1862 disestablishments in Switzerland Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zürich Baroque church buildings in Switzerland Religious buildings and structures completed in 778