St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz (Stift St. Alban vor Mainz) originated as a

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, founded in 787 or 796 by Archbishop Richulf (787–813) in honour of Saint Alban of Mainz, located to the south of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

on the hill later called the ''Albansberg''. It was turned into a collegiate foundation.(''Herrenstift'') in 1442. The buildings were entirely destroyed in 1552, The foundation retained a legal existence until its formal dissolution in 1802.

History

The Stift St. Alban vor Mainz originated as a Benedictine abbey, founded in 787 or 796 by Archbishop Richulf (787–813) in honour of Saint Alban of Mainz. The abbey was founded near the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

of Saint Alban founded in 413 and developed as part of the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. Charlemagne's reign led to an intellectual revival beginning in the 8th century and continuing throughout the 9th ...

. In 805 the Carolingian basilica was consecrated, comprising three naves, but possibly originally without the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

and the two

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

s. At the western end was a hall the same size as the main nave, above which was a chapel of

St. Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

. The two western towers, known from later illustrations, were added in the Romanesque period. The Gothic

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, erected between 1300 and 1500, was extraordinarily large. The floor plan of

Schloss Johannisberg Schloss Johannisberg is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical palace and historic winery located in the village of Johannisberg (Geisenheim), Johannisberg, west of Wiesbaden in Hesse, within the renowned Rheingau (wine region), Rheingau win ...

, originally built as a monastery, reflects a similar construction, because St. Alban's was its mother house. The abbey kept the relics of St. Caesarius of Terracina, and in 1298 acquired those of

Justin the Confessor Justin the Confessor (died 269) was a Christian martyr in the Roman Empire. He is honoured as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Life Information regarding Justin and Crescentianus comes from the "Passion of La ...

from Saint Justin's Church in Höchst.

Fortification

The later Archbishop of Mainz (1328–1336)

Baldwin of Luxembourg Baldwin of Luxembourg (c. 1285 – 21 January 1354) was the archbishop and elector of Trier and archchancellor of Burgundy from 1307 to his death. From 1328 to 1336, he was the administrator of the archdiocese of Mainz and from 1331 to 1337 (w ...

fortified the abbeys of St. Alban's, St. Jakob's and St. Victor's, which at that period were located outside the town walls.

Destruction

St. Alban's was sacked and burnt down on the evening of 28 August 1552 during the

Second Margrave War The Second Margrave War () was a conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between 1552 and 1555. Instigated by Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who was attempting to form a Duchy of Franconia under his ru ...

Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach Albert II (; 28 March 15228 January 1557) was the margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (Brandenburg-Bayreuth) from 1527 to 1553. He was a member of the Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. Because of his bellicose nature, Albert was g ...

. It was not rebuilt. In 1802 St. Alban's Abbey, which until then had retained a nominal existence, was formally dissolved under

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 ...

Burials

Fastrada Fastrada ( – 10 August 794) was queen consort of East Francia by marriage to Charlemagne, as his third (or, in some sources, fourth) wife. Life Fastrada was born ''circa'' 765 at Ingelheim, the daughter of the powerful East Frankish Count Rudo ...

(d. 794), fourth wife 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 ...

. * Charles of Aquitaine (d. 863), Archbishop of Mainz from 856 to 863. *

Liutgard of Saxony (died 953) Luitgard is a German female name. Origin The name comes from Old High German and means " emaleguardian of the people" (German: ''Beschützerin des Volks''). This derives, in its older form, ''Liutgard'', from ''liut'' which means "people" (Mode ...

, daughter of

Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

. * Liudolf (d. 957), Duke of Swabia and first son of Otto. *

William, Archbishop of Mainz William (929 – 2 March 968) was Archbishop of Mainz from 17 December 954 until his death. He was the son of the Emperor Otto I the Great and a Wendish mother. On 17 December 954, he was appointed to the archbishopric of Mainz following ...

(d. 968).Henry Parkes, The Making of Liturgy in the Ottonian Church, p.80

References

Sources

* Reinhard Schmidt: ''Die Abtei St. Alban vor Mainz im hohen und späten Mittelalter. Geschichte, Verfassung und Besitz eines Klosters im Spannungsfeld zwischen Erzbischof, Stadt, Kurie und Reich. (Beiträge zur Geschichte der Stadt Mainz)'' (Mainz 1996) * Brigitte Oberle: ''Das Stift St. Alban vor Mainz. Aspekte der Umwandlung des Benediktinerklosters St. Alban in ein Ritterstift im 15. Jahrhundert.'' (2005) *''Les Ordines Romani du haut moyen âge'', Michel Andrieu, Louvain: Spicilegium Sacrum Lovaniense Administration, 1961–1974. *''Le Pontifical romano-germanique du dixième siècle'', ed. C. Vogel and R. Elze (Studi e Testi vols. 226–7 (text), 266 (introduction and indices), 3 vols., Rome, 1963–72). {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Albans Abbey, Mainz 10th-century churches in Germany 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Germany Albans Romanesque architecture in Germany Monasteries in Rhineland-Palatinate Christian monasteries established in the 8th century History of Mainz Roman Catholic churches in Mainz Burial sites of the Ottonian dynasty