Königsfelden Monastery is a former

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East ...

, which housed both a community of

Poor Clare The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Sec ...

nuns and one of

friars, living in separate wings, in the municipality of Windisch in the canton of

Aargau Aargau ( ; ), more formally the Canton of Aargau (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau. Aargau is one of the most nort ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It was founded in 1308 by the Habsburgs. In the course of the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Reformation in Switzerland The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

in 1528 it was secularized, and the complex was then the residence of the

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

s of Bern. Since 1868 the former monastic buildings have served as a psychiatric clinic. The monastery church was converted into a museum in 2009. It contains a set of 14th-century

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows which, together with the windows in the Cathedral of Bern, are considered the most valuable in Switzerland.

History

On May 1, 1308, King

Albert I of Germany Albert I of Habsburg () (July 12551 May 1308) was a List of rulers of Austria, Duke of Austria and Duchy of Styria, Styria from 1282 and List of German monarchs, King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Ru ...

was murdered by his nephew

John Parricida John Parricida () or John the Parricide, also called John of Swabia (''Johann von Schwaben''), (ca. 1290 – 13 December 1312/13) was the son of the Habsburg duke Rudolf II of Austria and Agnes, daughter of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. By kill ...

in the community of Windisch. In memory of this event his widow, Elizabeth of Carinthia, founded the monastery about 1310-11 at the site, approximately from

Brugg Brugg (sometimes written as Brugg AG in order to distinguish it from other ''Brugg''s) is a Switzerland, Swiss Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and a List of towns in Switzerland, town in the canton of Aargau and is the seat of the Bru ...

. The monastic complex centered around the

contemplative In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with religious practices such as meditation or prayer. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is de ...

life of the nuns, while the small community of friars tended to both their spiritual needs and that of the surrounding community. Albert and Elisabeth’s oldest daughter, Agnes of Austria, the widow of King

Andrew III of Hungary Andrew III the Venetian (, , ; – 14 January 1301) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1290 and 1301. His father, Stephen the Posthumous, was the posthumous son of Andrew II of Hungary although Stephen's older half brother ...

, moved to Königsfelden in 1317 and helped it to thrive, but did not join the monastery.Queen Agnes and the convent
, Kanton Aargau With the conquest of the Western Aargau by the city of Bern, the monastery lost its connection with the Habsburg family. It was abolished in the course of the success of the Reformation in Switzerland in 1528. The complex then served as the seat of the Bernese

s of the Königsfelden district, a steward took over the administration of former monastic property. In 1804 the former monastery became the property of the canton of Aargau, which had been founded in the year before. The new canton established a mental hospital. In 1872 a new building was built and since 1887 it has been a psychiatric clinic. During the construction a large part of the Franciscan monastery was demolished.

Abbesses

*1310–1313 Elizabeth of Carinthia *about 1313 Hedwiga von Kuntzlau *1318–1324 Guta von Bachenstein *1329 Benigna von Bachenstein *about 1330 Agnes of Austria *about 1334 Adelheid I *about 1355 Elisabeth I von Leiningen *about 1371 Anna I von Goldenberg *1374–1383 Irmengard von Hohenberg *about 1405 Adelheid II von Hallwyl *1406–1408 Margaretha I von Wachingen *1411–1415 Margaretha II von Grünenberg *1416–1456 Elisabeth II von Leiningen *about 1456 Ursula von Mirlingen *about 1459 Eva von Erpach *about 1471 Osanna Jäger *1472–1492 Apollonia von Hohenberg *1497–1506 Anna II von Stein *1511–1513 Emerita Lutschern *1516–1528 Katherina von Waldburg

Burials

* Elizabeth of Carinthia, Queen of the Romans * Leopold the Glorious, Duke of Austria, and his wife,

Catherine of Savoy Catherine of Savoy ( Brabant, between 1297 and 1304 Rheinfelden, 30 September 1336) was a princess of the House of Savoy, and since 1315 the wife of Leopold I, Duke of Austria and Styria (1290–1326) from the House of Habsburg. Biography Cat ...

Henry the Friendly Henry of Austria (15 May 1299 – 3 February 1327), known as Henry the Friendly, was the son of King Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol. In 1305, Henry was betrothed to his stepniece, Elizabeth of Hungary, the engagement probably ...

and his wife, Elizabeth of Virneburg * Agnes of Austria, Queen of Hungary * Elizabeth of Austria, Duchess of Lorraine *Jutta of Austria, Countess of Öttingen

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigsfelden Monastery Burial sites of the House of Habsburg Christian monasteries in Switzerland Buildings and structures in Aargau Franciscan monasteries Poor Clare monasteries Museums in Aargau Monuments and memorials in Switzerland Christian monasteries established in the 1300s 14th-century establishments in Switzerland 1308 establishments in Europe 1528 disestablishments in Europe 16th-century disestablishments in the Old Swiss Confederacy Gothic architecture in Switzerland Churches in Aargau