- Herrenalb Abbey
Herrenalb Abbey (Kloster Herrenalb; in
Latin : "Alba dominorum") is a formerCistercian monastery in the presentBad Herrenalb inBaden-Württemberg ,Germany .History
The monastery was founded, probably in 1147 or 1148, by Count Berthold of Eberstein as a family monastery, although the foundation charter only survives in a corrupt copy of 1270. The new monastery was settled by monks from
Neubourg Abbey inAlsace .The "
Vogtei " (advocacy or protective lordship) was the property of the founder and his family, but the abbey had the concession that within those limits it was able to choose which individual it wanted for the role. In 1289 theMargrave of Baden became Vogt and in 1338 theCount of Württemberg , who thenceforward retained the office despite continuing efforts of the Margraves of Baden. The abbey at some stage received "Reichsfreiheit " as anImperial abbey .It was laid waste in the
Peasants' War of 1525. After DukeUlrich of Württemberg introduced the Reformation inWürttemberg in 1534, the monks were forced to leave the abbey in 1536. A school was set up in the buildings in 1556 but was closed again in 1595.The abbey owned scattered estates in the Alb valley in the northern
Black Forest and round the communities ofOttersweier ,Malsch (acquired 1318),Bruchsal ,Oberderdingen ,Vaihingen an der Enz andMerklingen (acquired 1296), among others. The abbey was however never able to concentrate its lands so as to maximise their economic potential, and never became particularly wealthy.Buildings
Some buildings still remain of the original monastic complex, among them what appear to be the abbot's lodgings and the infirmary, besides ruins of the cloisters. The Romanesque
tithe barn also still survives. Of the abbey church there are substantial remains of the Romanesque paradise (entrance hall). The Gothic choir was converted for use as aLutheran church in 1739 and still contains many relics of its former use, including a monument to Bernard I of Baden (died 1435, but not buried here). An impressive sculptured panel of theCrucifixion from the abbey was removed from Bad Herrenalb to Schloss Eberstein in theMurg valley in the 19th century.Sources
* Rückert, Peter; Schwarzmaier, Hansmartin: "850 Jahre Kloster Herrenalb". Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-7995-7819-6
External links
* [http://www.bad-herrenalb-evangelisch.de/cms/startseite/ehem-zisterzienser-abtei-alba-dominorum/ Account of the abbey on the website of the Lutheran parish of Bad Herrenalb]
* [http://www.lad-bw.de/kloester-bw/kloster1.php?nr=298 Klöster in Baden-Württemberg: Herrenalb]
* [http://www.st-bernhard.net/index.html?/sites/tbhgk1.html201 Abbey history on the website of the Roman Catholic parish of Bad Herrenalb]
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