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upNeumünster Collegiate church, Würzburg, west façade in Baroque style">Baroque.html" ;"title="façade in Baroque">façade in Baroque style
The Neumünster Collegiate church (German language">German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
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** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: ''Kollegiatstift Neumünster'', ) is a former collegiate church in Würzburg, Germany. The church dates back to the 11th century.
History
The first church on the site was probably built during the tenure of Megingoz of Würzburg, Meningoz of Würzburg to commemorate the place where the so-called
Franconia
Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
n Apostles,
Kilian
Killian or Kilian, as a given name, is an English language, Anglicized version of the Irish language, Irish name . The name was borne by several early Irish saints including missionaries to Artois (France) and Franconia (Germany) and the author ...
,
Colman, and
Totnan
Saint Totnan (7th Century – July 8, 689 AD) was an Irish Franconian apostle. He was born in Ireland and was martyred along with St. Colman (martyr), Saint Colman and Saint Kilian in Würzburg in 689.
In 686, he travelled to Rome with Kilia ...
, were martyred.
Burchard, Meningoz's predecessor, and later Meningoz himself were buried in this church. The
monumental inscription {, align=right
, 250px, The inscription, carved in stone, on the monument of Sir John Young and Dame Joane, erected in 1606 in Bristol">Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England. Sir John entertained Elizabeth I of England">Queen Elizabeth when she vi ...
on Meningoz's
sarcophagus
A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...
is the oldest post-roman inscription in Franconia.
In 1057,
Adalbero of Würzburg
Adalbero of Würzburg (or Saint Adalbero; 1010 – 6 October 1090) was Bishop of Würzburg and Count of Lambach-Wels.
Life
Born around 1010 in Lambach, Adalbero was the youngest son of Count Arnold II of in Upper Austria (of the family of th ...
founded the college of canons of Neumünster, dedicated to
John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...
. The church was completed three years later in the
Romanesque style. The church was renovated and expanded from 1180 to 1250.
From 1711 to 1716 Josef Greising built the west façade in the Baroque style. From 1725 the interior was redesigned in the baroque style by the brothers
Johann Baptist Zimmermann
Johann Baptist Zimmermann (3 January 1680, Wessobrunn, Gaispoint — 2 March 1758, Munich) was a German Painting, painter and a prime Stucco, stucco plasterer during the Baroque.
Zimmermann was born in Gaispoint, Wessobrunn. He and his brothe ...
and
Dominikus Zimmermann. As a consequence of the
German mediatisation
German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...
, the church was temporarily used as a munitions depot until 1821. The Neumünster first became a parish church, separate from the adjacent
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
, in 1908. The parish is dedicated to
John the Baptist
John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
and John the Evangelist.
The church was heavily damaged in the
bombing of Würzburg in 1945, leading to the destruction of much of the church's interior, including the Tilman Riemenschneider busts of the Franconian Apostles (afterwards replaced by copies). However, damage was not as severe as that in the Cathedral, so the Neumünster was the seat of the
Bishop of Würzburg
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
from 1950 until the Cathedral's reopening in 1967. The Neumünster was once again renovated from 2009 to 2011, some baroque elements were restored and art by modern artists including
Michael Triegel and
Hann Trier
Hann Trier (1 August 1915 in Düsseldorf – 14 June 1999 in Castiglione della Pescaia in Tuscany) was a German artist, best known for his giant ceiling painting in the Charlottenburg Palace. He was married to a sociologist Renata Mayntz and was th ...
was installed.
Lusam Garden
On the north end of the church is the Lusam Garden (''Lusamgärtchen''), a small garden in the former cemetery and cloister of the Neumünster College of Canons. It is probable that the legendary minstrel singer
Walther von der Vogelweide
Walther von der Vogelweide (; ) was a Minnesänger who composed and performed love-songs and political songs ('' Sprüche'') in Middle High German. Walther has been described as the greatest German lyrical poet before Goethe; his hundred or s ...
was buried here, today, there is a monument dedicated to him in the garden. The monument features circular divots for birdfeed and water, so that birds can feed at Walther's grave.
Sixteen arcades of the original cloister still remain in the garden, they date to the late 12th century. Some of the arcades feature Romanesque carvings, the reliefs of
Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory () is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership change ...
and St. Kilian are thought to be some of the earliest examples of sculpture in Würzburg.
References
{{coord, 49.79394, 9.93161, format=dms, type:landmark_region:DE, display=title
Collegiate churches in Germany
Romanesque architecture in Germany