Marienstatt Abbey
| Marienstatt Abbey | |
|---|---|
The Cistercian monastery in 2016
| |
| 50°41′06″N 07°48′11″E / 50.68500°N 7.80306°E | |
| Location | Streithausen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| Denomination | Catholic (Cistercians) |
| Website | www.abtei-marienstatt.de |
| History | |
| Founded | 1212 |
| Dedication | Assumption of Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Baroque |
Marienstatt Abbey (German: Abtei Marienstatt, Latin: Abbatia Loci Sanctae Mariæ) is a Cistercian monastery and a pilgrimage site in Streithausen, Westerwaldkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, in the Nister valley near Hachenburg.
The abbey has an early-Gothic Basilica with the largest organ in the Westerwald, a library, a brewery with restaurant, a shop for books and art, a guest house, and a privately supported secondary school, the Privates Gymnasium Marienstatt.
History
The abbey was established by Heisterbach Abbey, which was created by Himmerod Abbey, which in turn was founded from Clairvaux Abbey in 1134, in a direct succession.[1][2] In 1212, it was first founded in Neunkhausen, made possible by a donation from Eberhard of Arenberg and his wife Adelheid von Molsberg.[2] The site was abandoned because of the climate and soil, and the monastery was transferred to the present location in 1222.[2] According to legend, the abbot had a dream of a hawthorn bush that flowered in winter, which led him to choose the new site.[2] The first church there was consecrated on 27 December 1227 under Conrad, the third abbot.[2] The monastery at the time belonged to the Diocese of Cologne.[2]
From 1476, lay people were permitted to attend services in the abbey church, and in 1485 the pilgrimage day was made the octave of Corpus Christi.[3] From 1561, the Counts of Sayn introduced the Reformation in their territories.[2][4] In the Thirty Years' War, Sweden claimed the property as Swedish crown land on 3 October 1633, expelling the brothers and vandalizing the premises.[2] Some brothers returned when the Swedes left. However, abbot Johannes Wittig lived with only one brother and one novice there in 1637. After the war, the monastery flourished again, and most present buildings were erected. Under abbot Benedikt Bach, the church was decorated in Baroque style. The old buildings were demolished and replaced from 1735 to 1751 under Petrus Emons.[2]
The monastery served as an infirmary during the War of the First Coalition in 1794/95 and 1796/97.[2] On 19 October 1802, the abbey was dissolved as part of secularisation and was given to Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg. The last brothers left in 1803, but Catholic masses were still held. From 1831, masses were officially tolerated by the Nassau government, when the abbey church became the church of a new parish, Marienstatt, saving it from demolition.[2] In 1842, Nassau County bought the buildings back in poor condition, but plans for a workhouse were not carried out. On 18 May 1864, the county sold Marienstatt to the Bishop of Limburg, Peter Joseph Blum, who established a home for neglected boys. It was directed by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. When the order was dissolved during the 1873 Kulturkampf, diocesan priests took over. They were supported by sisters of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Eventually, the institution was moved to Kloster Marienhausen in Aulhausen.[5] In 1888, the abbey was bought back by brothers of the Wettingen-Mehrerau Abbey. The abbot (and later Bishop of Limburg) Dominikus Willi cared for a new settlement, now as part of the Mehrerauer Kongregation.[6]
In 1909, abbot Konrad II Kolb built a library and in 1910 opened an Oblatenschule, a school for the preparation of young men for the order.[2] During the Nazi regime, the abbey was almost closed. During World War II, it served again as an infirmary, and as a home for children from Dormagen, senior citizens from Frankfurt am Main, and the Jesuit college Sankt Georgen.[2]
After the war, the school was reopened and expanded into a gymnasium with boarding facility, Privates Gymnasium Marienstatt.[7] The former boarding house is now a guest house, with school rooms in the basement. The church belongs to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, while the other buildings belong to the Cistercian abbey. In 2015, the parish was merged into a larger parish, Maria Himmelfahrt Hachenburg.[6]
Abbots
Marienstatt has had a continuous line of abbots since its founding in the early 13th century, interrupted by the abbey's secularization in 1803 and its refounding by monks from Wettingen-Mehrerau Abbey in 1888.[8] Abbot Dominikus Willi, who led the community following its 1888 refounding, was elected Bishop of Limburg in 1898.
| Abbot | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hermann | 1167–1223 | Also abbot of Heisterbach and Himmerod abbeys[8] |
| Ulrich | 1223 | [8] |
| Konrad I | 1223–1227 | [8] |
| Heinrich I | 1228–1235 | [8] |
| Kuno | 1235–1245 | [8] |
| Petrus I | 1246–1247 | [8] |
| Wilhelm I | 1247–1255 | [8] |
| Johannes I | 1255–1258 | [8] |
| Dietrich I | 1258–1289 | [8] |
| Nikolaus | 1289–1298 | [8] |
| Wigand von Greifenstein | 1298–1338 | [8] |
| Dietrich II | 1338–1351 | [8] |
| Albert | 1351–1365 | [8] |
| Enolph | 1365–1366 | [8] |
| Dietrich III | 1366–1374 | [8] |
| Johannes II | 1374–1380 | [8] |
| Bernhard I von Mudersbach | 1381–1391 | [8] |
| Heinrich II von Köln | 1391–1404 | [8] |
| Dietrich IV von Ingelbach | 1404–1409 | [8] |
| Rorich Schappelier | 1409–1425 | [8] |
| Wilhelm II von Köln | 1425–1428 | [8] |
| Bruno von Köln | 1428–1459 | [8] |
| Godert I von Köln | 1459–1462 | [8] |
| Friedrich Scharnekell | 1457–1490 | As dated by Germania Sacra; this overlaps the terms of the preceding and following abbots.[8] |
| Johannes III von Flach von Westerburg | 1490–1514 | [8] |
| Tilmann Raßelbank | 1514–1519 | [8] |
| Heinrich III von Cleeberg | 1519–1542 | [8] |
| Petrus II von Wenden | 1542–1558 | [8] |
| Dietrich V von Birnbach | 1558–1559 | [8] |
| Petrus III von Köln (gen. von Herchenhelden) | 1560–1563 | [8] |
| Adam von Seelbach | 1563–1565 | [8] |
| Johannes IV von Wenden | 1565–1576 | [8] |
| Gottfried II von Drolshagen | 1576–1586 | [8] |
| Philipp Seiler (gen. Funarius) | 1586–1623 | [8] |
| Adolf Stroitz | 1623–1633 | [8] |
| Johannes V Weiler | 1633–1636 | [8] |
| Michael Leyendecker | 1636 | [8] |
| Johannes VI Wittig | 1636–1658 | [8] |
| Johannes VII Caspar Pflüger | 1658–1688 | [8] |
| Benedikt Johannes Bach | 1688–1720 | [8] |
| Alberich Bergh | 1720–1735 | [8] |
| Petrus IV Emons | 1735–1751 | [8] |
| Bernhard II Colonia | 1734–1770 | As dated by Germania Sacra; this overlaps the preceding abbot's term.[8] |
| Edmund Leser | 1770–1784 | [8] |
| Joseph Christian Frosch | 1784–1802 | Last abbot before secularization[8] |
| Dominikus I Conrad | 1740–1803 | Also Provisor of Kerpen and Prior of Drolshagen[8] |
| — Abbey dissolved 1802; refounded from Wettingen-Mehrerau Abbey 1888 — | ||
| Dominikus Willi | 1889–1898 | Elected Bishop of Limburg in 1898; served until his death in 1913[8] |
| Konrad II Kolb | 1898–1918 | [8] |
| Eberhard Hoffmann | 1918–1936 | [9] |
| Idesbald Eicheler | 1936–1971 | [9] |
| Thomas Denter | 1971–2006 | [9] |
| Andreas Range | 2006–2022 | Retired on reaching the mandatory age of 75[9] |
| (Prior-administrators) | 2022–2025 | Interim leadership pending a new election[9] |
| Ignatius Fritsch | 2025–present | [9] |
Allegations concerning the former boarding school
In 2010, a former student of the abbey's boarding school, Arno Benner, spoke to the regional newspaper Rhein-Zeitung about his experience there, describing humiliating treatment and characterizing the school's atmosphere as having "fascistoid" (authoritarian, oppressive) features. Benner said he was not seeking retribution but felt the monastic community had never openly reckoned with this period of its history.[10]
In 2024, regional historian Uli Jungbluth published two books, drawing on the recollections of former boarding-school students, describing conditions at the school between 1947 and 1954.[11][12] Coverage in the Siegener Zeitung summarized the accounts as describing oppression, psychological terror, mistreatment, and harsh disciplinary methods directed at children, and noted that Benner contributed commentary to the project.[13]
Church organ
In the 16th century, the church had an organ installed in a Schwalbennest on the north wall. At the end of the 18th century, a large organ was on a balcony in front of the west window. In 1854, Daniel Raßmann from Möttau replaced it with an instrument with 16 stops on two manuals and pedal, reusing some material from the former instrument. The organ and the balcony were demolished in 1941 when the church was restored.[14]
A choir organ served the chorale singing from 1912, with 45 stops. During the restoration, it was relocated to the parish hall. In 1950, Anton Feith from Paderborn used material from this organ to build a new instrument. It was sold to the parish St. Peter (Köln-Neuehrenfeld) in 1964, while the abbey church used a small rented organ.[15]
The present organ was built from 1969 to 1970 by Franz Rieger. The organ features the only authentic Spanische Trompete outside Spain, dating back to 1732. The organ was expanded in 2006 and 2007 by Orgelbau Romanus Seifert & Sohn from Kevelaer. In 2015, the organ was expanded by three stops. It now has 67 stops (more than 5,000 pipes) on four manuals and pedal, the largest organ in the region.[15][16]
Pilgrims
Marienstatt is a known place for pilgrim tours, also the Marienwanderweg connects Marienstatt Abbey to the former francisain monastery Kloster Marienthal in Seelbach bei Hamm near Altenkirchen.
Amenities
Kunst- und Buchhandlung
The arts and books store, which is located at the avenue sells local products as well as books about the Cisterciens and the abbey.
Garden
This garden is a place of recreation as well as herb production. The garden is of two sections, Barockgarten is the section that is for taking rest, it should light the minimalism lifestyle of the Cisterciens monks, it includes flowers and plants as well as a fountain, it has been reconstruated in 2010 and 2011. The monastery wall borders the Barockgarten, it is made by nature stone, many wild, not common plants have settled down on it. The gardens section Heilpflanzengarten is for production of herbs that have a health supporting affect.
Library
A public library nowadays is located in the main school building, which was constructed in 1910. It houses about 112,700 books, with about 21,500 of them protected as antiquary, historic property since 2017. Before that, the Marienstatt library was located in two other places on the grounds of Marienstatt.
Chapels
Beside the church, three chapels are located on the grounds, Marienkapelle and Kriegerkapelle, which are permanent accessible as well as Annakapelle, which is located within the buildings and used by the Abbey, school or groups for events, it has space for approximately 200 people.
School
A private school is located on the grounds of Marienstatt Abbey.
Guest house
The guest house is located in the main building.
Brauhaus
The brewery of Marienstatt produces their own beer, called Marienstätter and hosts a restaurant with guest garden.
Seminar rooms
Marienstatt Abbey has seminar rooms available, most common seminar room is St. Bernhard.
Cemetery
The Abbey has its own cemetery which is for the monks that have passed away.
Food production
The monastery used to have its own farm on which food has been produced, but it has been closed since 1971.
Forum
The Forum Abtei Marienstatt e. V. is an officially registered, volunteer-based interest group of people that have the goal to support and conserve the abbey, which is a listed cultural heritage and create a dialogue between the abbey and people outside.
The Forum Abtei Marienstatt e. V. also is organizer of public podcasts, exhibitions, guided walking tours and excursions to teach about the history of the Cistercians.
Freundeskreis
The Spiritual Friends' Circle is an initiative of the monks of Marienstatt. It consists of people who feel connected to the monastery and its community and support it chiefly through daily prayer, in particular praying for spiritual vocations for the abbey.[17]
Musikkreis
The Marienstatter Musikkreis is the music group of Marienstatt Abbey that organizes concerts and perform regularly, the leader is Frater Gregor Brandt.
Infrastructure
Transport
Marienstatt was, through its former own stop, connected to the Westerwald-Sieg-Railway, RB90 of DreiLänderBahn, a section of Hessische Landesbahn (HLB) as well as the Selters-Hachenburg narrow-gauge railway. Since it has been closed, the nearest train stop is Hattert, located in Müschenbach, where in the past also the narrow-gauge line to Selters (Westerwald) was operating.
Additionally, the local bus lines 415, 270 and 273 serve Marienstatt Abbey.
Marienstatt is located at the Marien hiking trail to Seelbach-Marienthal.
Marienstatt is located on the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (VRM) (Rhine-Moselle transport association), zone number 453.
The historical bridge, made of rubble stone over the Nister, is also a cultural heritage, first named in 1478, renewed from 1721 to 1734, and was once an important way for the traffic from Cologne to Leipzig. Nowadays, it's only for walkers and cyclers, primarily used to reach Hattert train stop, parking lot or the Marienway to Seelbach-Marienthal.
Electricity supply
Because there is an interest in sustainability, the abbey produces its own electricity through solar generators on roofs as well as a Hydropower generator at the Nister River. Producing electricity though wind turbines is not possible due to the location of the abbey in a valley. Additionally, a solar based warming system for water is located of the roofs.
Regular events
The annual Traktorensegnung (tractor blessing) blesses the farming mashines of the sorrounding area.
Literature
- R. Goerz (ed.): Die Abteikirche zu Marienstatt bei Hachenburg. Wiesbaden 1867. dilibri Rheinland-Pfalz
- Hermann Josef Roth: Die Abtei Marienstatt und die Generalkapitel der Zisterzienser seit 1459. In: Archiv für mittelrheinische Kirchengeschichte. 22, 1970, pp. 93–127.
- Abtei Marienstatt (ed.): 750 Jahre Abteikirche Marienstatt. Buch- und Kunstverlag Abtei Marienstatt, Marienstatt 1977.
- Abtei Marienstatt (ed.): 100 Jahre Wiederbesiedlung der Abtei Marienstatt 1888–1988. Buch- und Kunstverlag Abtei Marienstatt, Marienstatt 1988.
- Doris Fischer: Die Klosterkirche Marienstatt = Denkmalpflege in Rheinland-Pfalz. Forschungsberichte 4. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1999. ISBN 3-88462-159-9
- Hillen, Christian (2012). "Sehet, hier ist die Stätte -": Geschichte der Abtei Marienstatt (in German). Böhlau. p. 462. ISBN 978-3-11-046903-5.
- Hermann Josef Roth: Himmerod und Marienstatt. Möglichkeiten eines Vergleichs als methodische Anregung. In: Cistercienser-Chronik. 111, 2, 2004, pp. 205–214, 2 illus., 1 table
- Wilhelm Buschulte: Abtei Marienstatt. Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Cologne 2008, ISBN 978-3-86526-023-9.
- Andreas Lechtape: Kloster Marienstatt. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2005, ISBN 3-7954-1663-9.
- Wolf-Heino Struck: Das Cistercienserkloster Marienstatt (Westerwald) im Mittelalter. Urkundenregesten, Zinsverzeichnisse und Nekrolog. Historische Kommission für Nassau, Wiesbaden 1965, ISBN 978-3-922244-22-6.
- Katharina Kasper. Schriften. Vol. I. Kevelaer 2001, ISBN 3-7666-0323-X (Founder of the Congregation of Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ).
- Forum Abtei Marienstatt (ed.): Acht Jahrhunderte Abtei Marienstatt. Jubiläum – Äbte – Projekte. Marienstatt 2014. ISBN 978-3-00-042103-7.
Films
References
- Back to citation Hillen, Christian (2017). Die Zisterzienserabtei Marienstatt. Die Bistümer der Kirchenprovinz Köln. Das Erzbistum Köln 7 (in German). Walter de Gruyter. pp. 77–105. ISBN 978-3-11-046903-5.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.00 Back to citation occurrence 2.01 Back to citation occurrence 2.02 Back to citation occurrence 2.03 Back to citation occurrence 2.04 Back to citation occurrence 2.05 Back to citation occurrence 2.06 Back to citation occurrence 2.07 Back to citation occurrence 2.08 Back to citation occurrence 2.09 Back to citation occurrence 2.10 Back to citation occurrence 2.11 Back to citation occurrence 2.12 "Zur Geschichte der Abtei Marienstatt". cistopedia.org (in German). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- Back to citation abtei-marienstatt.de: Geschichte (Year 1486).
- Back to citation Daniel Schneider: Die Entwicklung der Konfessionen in der Grafschaft Sayn im Grundriss, in: Heimat-Jahrbuch des Kreises Altenkirchen 58 (2015), pp. 74–80.
- Back to citation Katharina Kasper: Schriften. vol. I, pp. 166ff.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 "Geschichte des Kirchortes Marienstatt" (in German). Diocese of Limburg. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- Back to citation Privates Gymnasium der Zisterzienserabtei Marienstatt (ed.): Einhundertjahrbuch. 100 Jahre Schule in Marienstatt. 1910–2010. Oblatenschule – Progymnasium – Privates Gymnasium. Festschrift mit Schlaglichtern aus dem Jubiläumsschuljahr 2009/2010. Marienstatt 2010. p. 118
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- Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 Back to citation occurrence 9.2 Back to citation occurrence 9.3 Back to citation occurrence 9.4 Back to citation occurrence 9.5 "Marienstatt". Biographia Cisterciensis (in German). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- Back to citation "Klosterinternat Marienstatt: Ex-Schüler aus Mittelhof spricht von "faschistoiden Zügen"". Rhein-Zeitung (in German). 27 April 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- Back to citation Jungbluth, Uli; Thiem, Winfried (2024). Aus meiner Schulzeit in Marienstatt (1947–1954) (in German). Selters: Uli-Jungbluth-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-940118-17-2.
- Back to citation Jungbluth, Uli (2024). Tatort Marienstatt (in German). Vol. 2. Selters: Uli-Jungbluth-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-940118-19-6.
- Back to citation Seel, Peter (24 October 2024). ""Tatort Marienstatt": Regional-Historiker bringt finstere Erinnerungen von Internats-Schüler heraus". Siegener Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- Back to citation "Königin der Instrumente hat lange Tradition in der Marienstatter Basilika" (PDF). Rhein-Zeitung (in German). April 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- Back to citation occurrence 15.0 Back to citation occurrence 15.1 "Streithausen, Abtei Marienstatt (Klosterkirche)". organindex.de (in German). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- Back to citation Die große Rieger-Orgel July 2018
- Back to citation "Geistlicher Freundeskreis" (in German). Abtei Marienstatt. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
External links
- Literature by and about Marienstatt Abbey in the German National Library catalogue
- Official website
- Archivalia Kloster Marienstatt Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Wiesbaden
- Marienwanderweg, walking route from Marienstatt to Marienthal