Eldena Abbey
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Eldena Abbey (), originally Hilda Abbey () is a former
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monastery near the present town of
Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...
in
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...
,
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 ...
. Only ruins survive, which are well known as a frequent subject of
Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (; 5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic Landscape painting, landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation, whose often symbolic, and anti ...
's paintings, including the famous '' Abtei im Eichwald'' ("Abbey in the Oak Forest").


History


Monastery

In the 12th century the
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
coast south of the island of
Rügen Rügen (; Rani: ''Rȯjana'', ''Rāna''; , ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic ci ...
belonged to the
Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...
principality of Rügen The Principality of Rügen was a Medieval Denmark, Danish principality, formerly a duchy, consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a local dynasty of princes of the ''Wizlawiden'' (''Hou ...
, which in its turn was subject to the
Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...
. The Danish Cistercian monastery, Esrum Abbey, was thus able to found a daughter house in the area, Dargun Abbey, at
Dargun Dargun is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated km west of Demmin. It is famous for Dargun Palace, a former Cistercian abbey. History From 1815 to 1918 Dargun was part o ...
, west of
Demmin Demmin () is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in north-eastern Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Demmin. Geography Demmin lies on the West Pomeranian plain at the confluen ...
, in 1172. When in 1198 this monastery was destroyed in fighting between Denmark and
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
,
Jaromar I Jaromar is a masculine given name. It is the Polabian form of the West Slavic name, Jaromir. It may refer to: People: Jaromar, also Jaromar of Rügen, is the name of several members of Rügen's princely house: * Jaromar I (1141–1218), Prince o ...
, Prince of the Rani, whose wife was of the Danish royal house, offered to re-settle the monks at a new site at the mouth of the River Ryck, close to the boundary between the territory of the Princes of Rügen, and the
County of Gützkow The County of Gützkow () was a county located within the Duchy of Pomerania in the High Middle Ages. It was established in 1129 from the Castellany of Gützkow. Following the death of its last count in 1359, it was re-established into the Vogtei ...
,Christian Lübke, ''Struktur und Wandel im Früh- und Hochmittelalter: eine Bestandsaufnahme aktueller Forschungen zur Germania Slavica'', Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998, p.305, since the early 1120s subordinate to the
Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...
. The offer of the site, which included profitable salt pans, was accepted, and in 1199 Hilda Abbey, now Eldena Abbey, was founded, and confirmed by
Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
in 1204.the foundation legend, based on the apparent meaning of the name "Greifswald" ("griffin's wood"), was that the monks were shown the site of the monastery by a griffin living in a tree growing in the future high street of Greifswald The princes of Rügen further endowed the new monastery with extensive lands in the border country between the Rügen-owned territories of ''Gristow'' and ''Wostrose'' ( Wusterhusen), the area of ''Lositz'' ( Loitz) which was debated between Rügen and
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
, and the
County of Gützkow The County of Gützkow () was a county located within the Duchy of Pomerania in the High Middle Ages. It was established in 1129 from the Castellany of Gützkow. Following the death of its last count in 1359, it was re-established into the Vogtei ...
. The monastery became wealthy from the salt trade and was very influential in the Christianisation of
Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (; ), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania, located mostly in north-eastern Germany, with a small portion in no ...
. It also brought about the foundation at the beginning of the 13th century of the town of Greifswald, which started out as the monastery's trading settlement opposite the salt pans, near the point where the ''via regia'', an important trade route, crossed the river. After the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227 the Danes withdrew from this part of their former territories, and despite some competition from the princes of Rügen, the
Duke of Pomerania This is a list of the duchies and dukes of Pomerania. Dukes of the Slavic Pomeranian tribes (All Pomerania) The lands of Pomerania were firstly ruled by local tribes, who settled in Pomerania around the 10th and 11th centuries. Non-dynastic ...
,
Wartislaw III Wartislaw III (Polish: Warcisław III) (c. 1210 – 17 May 1264) was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children ...
, was able in 1248/49 to press the abbey into subinfeudating Greifswald to him. Wartislaw was later buried in Eldena Abbey, as were later members of the ducal family, the
House of Pomerania The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty, (; , ; Latin: ''Gryphes''), or House of Pomerania (see ), was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century ...
. Throughout the 13th century, Eldena Abbey organized the cultivation and settlement of its growing estates in the
Ostsiedlung (, ) is the term for the Early Middle Ages, early medieval and High Middle Ages, high medieval migration of Germanic peoples and Germanisation of the areas populated by Slavs, Slavic, Balts, Baltic and Uralic languages, Uralic peoples; the ...
process, allocating and founding Wendish, Danish and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
villages.Christian Lübke, ''Struktur und Wandel im Früh- und Hochmittelalter: eine Bestandsaufnahme aktueller Forschungen zur Germania Slavica'', Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998, pp. 308–310, In the growing town of
Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...
however, the
Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...
of Eldena lost much of their influence the foundation in the town in the mid-13th century of friaries of the
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
(Greyfriars) and the
Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
(Blackfriars). The east end of the abbey church was built in about 1200, while the conventual buildings date from the mid-13th and 14th centuries, all in
Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...
. The final stages of construction were the west front and the nave of the church, which were completed in the 15th century.


Dissolution and later history

The abbey was dissolved in 1535, when the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
was introduced into Pomerania by Duke
Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) ( ...
, who took over its estates. The buildings were severely damaged during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. In 1634 the site was given to the
University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; ), formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Founded in 1456, it is one of th ...
. The buildings fell derelict during the Swedish occupation of western Pomerania (1648–1815), and bricks were taken away to build fortifications. By the beginning of the 19th century, when the Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich knew the abbey, it was a ruin, which he made the subject of several paintings. Renewed public interest led to the beginning of restoration work in 1828, and on the basis of designs by the
Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...
landscape gardener
Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 1 ...
a park was laid out on the abbey precinct. In 1926-1927, scientific excavations were carried out in order to reconstruct the exact layout of the site. In the 1960s further work was carried out to make the site suitable for use for public and cultural events. Still more works were authorised from 1996 onwards jointly by both the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments (''Landesamt für Denkmalpflege'') and the town of Greifswald, which eventually led to the declaration of the ruins as a cultural site of the Pomerania Euroregion.


List of abbots

*Liwinius 1193–1207 *Sueno I 1207–1215 *Johannes I 1234–1241 *Andreas 1241 *Sueno II 1249–1254 *Christian 1256 *Reginarus 1265 *Rudolf 1270–1274 *Johannes II 1275–1290 *Hermann I 1293 *Nikolaus I Witte 1294–1295 *Heinrich I 1297–1303 *Jakob Stumpel 1304–1306 *Heinrich II 1306–1309 *Robert 1319 *Johannes III of Hagen c. 1325 *Arnold of Lübeck c. 1329 *Gerhard I 1335 *Heinrich III 1337 *Gerhard II 1341 *Martin 1347–1367 *Johannes IV Rotermund 1369 *Johannes V 1369–1388 *Johannes VI 1392–1415 *Nikolaus II 1415–1434 *Hartwich 1436–1447 *Everhard 1448–1452 *Sabellus Crugher 1455–1456 *Theodorich 1458 *Hermann II 1459–1470 *Johannes VII 1470–1473 *Nikolaus III 1473-1486 *Gregorius Groper 1486–1490 *Lambert von Werle 1490–1499 *Matthias 1499–1510 *Enwaldus Schinkel 1510–1535 Image:KlosterruinenEldena-Okt2004-01.jpg, Eldena Abbey ruins... Image:KlosterruinenEldena-Okt2004-02.jpg, ...in the autumn... Image:Klosterruine_Eldena2.jpg, ...and in the winter Image:Grabplatte Eldena.JPG, Gravestone in Eldena


Notes


Sources and external links


Die Ruinenbilder des Caspar David Friedrich
{{Coord, 54.0892, N, 13.45222, E, source:dewiki_region:DE-MV_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Monasteries in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Cistercian monasteries in Germany 1535 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1190s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1199 establishments in Europe Christian monasteries established in the 1190s Ruined abbeys and monasteries Church ruins in Germany Burial sites of the House of Pomerania Monasteries dissolved under the Protestant Reformation