Schöntal Abbey (german: link=no, Kloster Schöntal, Reichskloster Schöntal) is a former
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
abbey in
Schöntal
Schöntal is a municipality in the district of Hohenlohe in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is principally known as the location of Schöntal Abbey.
Subdivisions
The munisipality consists of the following districts.
* Aschhausen
* Berli ...
in the
district of Hohenlohe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is famous as one of the most impressive pieces of
Baroque architecture in northern Württemberg and is now used by the
Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' Bu ...
as a retreat and training centre.
History
The Cistercian monastery was founded in 1153 in
Neusass by Wolfram von Bebenburg and was settled by monks from
Maulbronn Abbey. The original site proved unsuitable and the new community moved to the present location in Schöntal on the
Jagst between 1157 and 1163. The land for the new site was provided by the
von Berlichingen family in exchange for rights of burial in the monastery. The monastery was under the protection of the
Bishops of Würzburg.
Despite a promising beginning, the abbey found itself in financial difficulties by the early 13th century. Maulbronn Abbey was also in financial trouble and gave Schöntal to
Kaisheim Abbey
The Imperial Abbey of Kaisersheim (German:''Reichsstift Kaisersheim'' or ''Kloster Kaisersheim''), was a Cistercian monastery in Kaisersheim (now Kaisheim), Bavaria, Germany.
As one of the 40-odd self-ruling imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empi ...
, which settled its debts in 1283.
After this, Schöntal made a recovery, and in 1418 at the
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...
was granted the status of
Imperial abbey, although it only retained this until 1495. It was plundered several times and suffered severe damage during the
German Peasants' War
The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...
in 1525. Although it survived the
Reformation the buildings became uninhabitable and an emergency block had to be constructed in 1617–18, now known as the ''Alte Abtei'' ("the old abbey"). The monastery was besieged during the
Thirty Years' War and the monks were eventually forced to flee in 1631, abandoning what remained of the buildings to looting and plunder. In 1648 the premises were several times used as soldiers' billets.
The abbey finally experienced a revival under abbot Benedikt Knittel (in office from 1683 to 1732). Under his leadership was built 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 ...
abbey church, designed by Leonhard Dientzenhofer, in which
Götz von Berlichingen is buried. Abbot Benedikt was also responsible for the palatial claustral buildings with the grand staircase by
Balthasar Neumann
Johann Balthasar Neumann (; 27 January 1687 (?) – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...
. Some forty monks lived in the community, besides about thirty ''
conversi'' or lay brothers, who lived outside the monastery while following a monastic way of life.
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 1802, when it was taken over by the
Kingdom of Württemberg. The furnishings and contents were removed to
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, and the buildings used initially for the accommodation of local government administration. From 1810 to 1975, Schöntal Abbey was one of the buildings used for the Evangelical Theological Seminary (''Evangelisch-theologisches Seminar'' or ''Seminar Maulbronn''), now the
Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren.
Today the buildings are used by the
Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' Bu ...
as a centre for conferences, retreats and training, as well as the town hall of the community of Schöntal.
Most of the Baroque buildings and the monastery gardens have survived.
Sources and references
*
Schöntal Abbey website*
Schöntal Abbey church website*
Klöster in Baden-Württemberg: Zisterzienserabtei Schöntal*''Württembergisches Klosterbuch'', p. 433 ff. Thorbecke Ostfildern 2003,
*H. Hummel: ''Kloster Schöntal'', Schöntal 1991
*J. Brümmer: ''Kunst und Herrschaftsanspruch. Abt Benedikt Knittel (1650–1732) und sein Wirken im Zisterzienserkloster Schöntal'' (''Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken 40''), Sigmaringen 1994
*M. M. Rückert: ''Von der frommen Adelsstiftung zur reichsunmittelbaren Abtei: Kloster Schöntal in den ersten 250 Jahren seines Bestehens'', in: D. R. Bauer (ed.): ''Unter Beobachtung der heiligen Regel. Zisterziensische Spiritualität und Kultur im baden-württembergischen Franken (Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken 48).'', Stuttgart 2002, pp. 25–38
External links
Web page Schöntal Monastery*
Schöntal Abbey website: Schools trips*
Historisches Wuerttemberg website*
Schloesser-magazin: Mehr über das Kloster Schöntal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schontal Abbey
Imperial abbeys
States and territories established in 1418
Monasteries in Baden-Württemberg
Cistercian monasteries in Germany
1153 establishments in Europe
Religious organizations established in the 1150s
1802 disestablishments
Baroque architecture in Baden-Württemberg
Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
Buildings and structures in Hohenlohe (district)