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Prüm Abbey is a former
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
abbey in
Prüm Prüm () is a town in the Westeifel (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Prüm (Verbandsgemeinde), Prüm. Geography Prüm lies o ...
, now in the diocese of Trier (Germany), founded by the
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
widow Bertrada the elder and her son Charibert, Count of Laon, in 721. The first abbot was Angloardus. The Abbey ruled over a vast hinterland comprising dozens of towns, villages and hamlets. Its abbot enjoyed the status of a prince (''Fürst'') of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, and as such had seat and vote on the Ecclesiastical Bench of the College of ruling princes of the Imperial Diet. After 1574, the archbishops-electors of Trier became the "perpetual administrators" of Prüm Abbey which, while preserving its princely status, became, de facto, an adjunct of Trier.


History


The Abbey's early period up to the 13th century

Bertrada of Prüm's granddaughter was Bertrada the younger, wife of King
Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...
(751–68). Prüm became the favourite monastery of the
Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Franks, Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Pippinids, Arnulfi ...
and received large endowments and privileges. Pepin rebuilt the monastery and bestowed great estates upon it by a deed of gift dated 13 August 762. The king brought monks from
Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...
under Abbot Assuerus to the monastery.Löffler, Klemens. "Prüm." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 January 2023
The church, dedicated to the Saviour (''Salvator''), was not completed until the reign of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
, and was consecrated on 26 July 799 by
Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (; died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death on 12 June 816. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlem ...
. Charlemagne and succeeding emperors were liberal patrons of the abbey. Several of the Carolingians entered the religious life at Prüm; among these was Charlemagne's illegitimate son
Pepin the Hunchback Pepin (or Pippin) the Hunchback (, ; 768/769 – 811) was a Franks, Frankish prince. He was the eldest son of Charlemagne and noblewoman Himiltrude. He developed a kyphosis, humped back after birth, leading early medieval historians to give him ...
, who was exiled there after an abortive uprising and died there in 811, and
Lothair I Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...
, who became a monk in 855. His grave was rediscovered in 1860; in 1874, the Emperor
Wilhelm I Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 1861 and German Emperor from 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the first head of state of a united Germany. ...
erected a monument over it. In 846 Bishop Hetto of Trier gifted by deed to Abbot Marcuardus the hamlet of Scindalasheim. In 882 and 892, the monastery was plundered and devastated by the
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
, but it soon recovered. The landed possessions were so large that the abbey developed into a principality. At times during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the monastery contained over three hundred monks. The period of its internal prosperity extends to the thirteenth century. The monks were energetic cultivators of the land. About 836, Abbot Marquard founded a new monastery at Münstereifel. In 1017, Abbot Urald founded at Prüm a collegiate foundation for twelve priests. In 1190, Abbot Gerhard founded a house for women of noble birth at Niederprüm. The monastery cared for the poor and sick. Learning was also cultivated. Among those who studied at the school of the monastery were Ado, later archbishop of Vienne (860–75). Wandelbert (813–70), was head of the school, and a distinguished poet. Abbot
Regino of Prüm Regino of Prüm or of Prum (, ; died 915 AD) was a Benedictine Order, Benedictine monk, who served as abbot of Prüm Abbey, Prüm (892–99) and later of St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier, Saint Martin's at Trier, and chronicler, whose ''Chronicon'' is ...
(893–99) made a name for himself as historian and codifier of canon law.


After the 13th century

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the monastery declined, partly from the oppression of its secular administrators, but more from internal decay. It reached such a pass that the monks divided the revenues among themselves and lived apart from one another. Consequently, the archbishops of
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
sought to incorporate the rich abbey and its extensive possessions into the archbishopric. In 1376, Emperor Charles IV gave his consent to this, as did
Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of t ...
in 1379, but the pope's consent was recalled in 1398.
Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...
in about 1473 also gave his approval to the incorporation. But the abbots refused to submit and even in 1511 carried on war against the archbishop, by then an elector. Finally, when the abbey was near ruin,
Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...
issued the decree of incorporation, dated 24 August 1574, which was carried into effect in 1576 after the death of Abbot Christopher of Manderscheid. After this, the archbishops-electors of Trier were "perpetual administrators" of the abbey. The abbey was now brought into order within and without, and once more flourished to such a degree that the two French Benedictine antiquarians Edmond Martène and Ursin Durand, who visited the monastery in 1718, stated in their ''Voyage littéraire'' that of all the monasteries in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, Prüm showed the best spirit, and study was zealously pursued. The monks made efforts even in the 18th century to shake off the control of Trier.


Secularization of the Abbey

In 1801, Prüm, occupied by French revolutionary troops since 1794, was formally annexed to France, secularized, and its estates sold;
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
gave its buildings to the city. In 1815, Prüm passed into the possession of
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
as a part of the
Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...
, and in the course of time became part of modern Germany, in the State of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. The church, built in 1721 by the Elector Ludwig, is now a parish church."St. Salvator Basilika Prüm", Eifel Turismus
/ref> The remaining monastic buildings are now used for the secondary school named the "Regino-Gymnasium" after the Abbot Regino of Prüm.


Abbey relics

The Sandals of Jesus Christ are considered to be the most notable of the many relics of the church; they are mentioned by Pepin in the deed of 762. He is said to have received them from
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
as a gift of
Pope Zachary Pope Zachary (; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death in March 752. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of sla ...
or
Pope Stephen II Pope Stephen II (; 714 – 26 April 757) was born a Roman aristocrat and member of the Orsini family. Stephen was the bishop of Rome from 26 March 752 to his death on 26 April 757. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzan ...
.


Abbots

* Angloardus 720–762 * Assuerus 762–804 * Tankrad 804–829 * Markward of Bouillon 829–853 * Eigil 853–860 * Ansbald 860–886 * Farabert I 886–892 *
Regino of Prüm Regino of Prüm or of Prum (, ; died 915 AD) was a Benedictine Order, Benedictine monk, who served as abbot of Prüm Abbey, Prüm (892–99) and later of St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier, Saint Martin's at Trier, and chronicler, whose ''Chronicon'' is ...
892–899 * Richar of Hennegau 899–921 * Ruotfried 921–935 * Farabert II of St Paul 935–947 * Ingelram of Limburg 947–976 * Eberhard of Salm 976–986 * Childerich 986–993 * Stephan of Saffenberg 993–1001 * Udo of Namur 1001–03 * Immo of Sponheim 1003–06 * Urold of Thaun (Daun) 1006–18 * Hilderad of Burgund 1018–26 * Ruprecht of Arberg 1026–68 * Rizo of Jülich 1068–77 * Wolfram of Bettingen 1077–1103 * Poppo of Beaumont 1103–19 * Lantfried of Hesse 1119–31 * Adalbero 1131–36 * Godfrey I of Hochstaden 1136–55 * Rother of Malberg 1155–70 * Robert I of Cleves 1170–74 * Gregor I of Geldern 1174–84 * Gerhard of Vianden 1184–1212 * Cæsarius of Milendonk 1212–16 * Kuno of Ahr 1216–20 * FrederickI of Fels 1220–45 * Godfrey II of Blankenheim 1245–74 * Walter of Blankenheim 1274–1322 * Henry I of Schönecken 1322–42 * Diether of Katzenelnbogen 1342–50 * John I Zandt of Merk 1350–54 * Dietrich of Kerpen 1354–97 * Frederick II of Schleiden 1397–1427 * Henry II of Are-Hirstorff 1427–33 * John II of Esche 1433–76 * Robert II of Virneburg 1476–1513 * Gregor II of Homburg 1513 * William of Manderscheid-Kayl 1513–46 * Christopher of Manderscheid-Kayl 1546–76 * ''From 1576 the Electors of Trier acted as Administrators of the abbey''


See also

* List of Merovingian monasteries * Merovingian architecture * Merovingian art


References


External links


Interior of abbey church
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prum Abbey Benedictine monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Rhineland-Palatinate Merovingian architecture Christian monasteries established in the 8th century 8th-century establishments in Germany History of the Eifel Eifel in the Middle Ages 721 establishments Churches completed in the 720s 752 establishments Churches completed in the 750s 8th-century churches in Germany Monasteries used as prisons