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Essen Abbey () was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day
Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
,
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 ...
. A chapter of male priests were also attached to the abbey, under a dean. In the medieval period, the abbess exercised the functions of a bishop, except for the sacramental ones, and those of a ruler, over the very extensive estates of the abbey, and had no clerical superior except the pope.


History

It was founded about 845 by the
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
Altfrid (died 874), later
Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Bishopric of Hildesheim, Prince-Bishopric of Hildeshei ...
and saint, near a royal estate called ''Astnidhi'', which later gave its name to the religious house and the town. The first abbess was Altfrid's kinswoman, Gerswit. Altfrid also built a church for the canonesses, the , later known as the and from 1958 as
Essen Cathedral Essen Minster (German: ), since 1958 also Essen Cathedral () is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Essen, the "Diocese of the Ruhr", founded in 1958. The church, dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian and the Blessed Virgin Mary, stands on ...
. Only women from the highest circles of German nobility were accepted."Power in the hands of Women – Princess-Abbesses rule Essen", Landschaftsverbände Westfalen-Lippe
/ref> Because of its advancement by the Liudolfings (the family of the Ottonian Emperors), the abbey became (an
Imperial abbey Princely abbeys (, ''Fürststift'') and Imperial abbeys (, ''Reichskloster'', ''Reichsstift'', ''Reichsgotthaus'') were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of imperial immediacy (''Reichsunmittelbarke ...
) sometime between 874 and 947. Apart from the abbess, the canonesses did not take vows of perpetual celibacy; they lived in some comfort in their houses, with their own staff, and wore secular clothing except when performing clerical roles such as singing the Divine Office. They could travel, and leave the abbey at any time to marry. Its best years began in 973 under the Abbess Mathilde, granddaughter of
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 ...
and thus herself a Liudolfing, who governed the abbey until 1011. In her time the most important of the art treasures of what is now the Essen Cathedral treasury came to Essen."The Treasury of Essen Cathedral", UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> She acquired from
Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
the
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s of ( Florinus of Remüs) for the abbey, and donated the processional Cross of Otto and Mathilde. The next two abbesses to succeed her were also from the Liudolfing family and were thus able further to increase the wealth and power of the foundation. In 1228 the abbesses were designated "Princesses" () for the first time. From 1300 they took up residence in Schloss Borbeck, where they spent increasing amounts of time. In wartime it was also a refuge for common people. The abbey's territorial lordship, to which belonged the town of
Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...
that was centered on the monastery, grew up between the
Emscher The Emscher () is a river, a tributary of the Rhine, that flows through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its overall length is with a mean outflow near the mouth into the lower Rhine of . Description The Emscher ha ...
and the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
, The town's efforts to become an independent Imperial city were frustrated by the abbey in 1399 and again, conclusively, in 1670. In the north of the territory was located the abbey's monastery of Stoppenberg, founded in 1073; to the south was the collegiate foundation of Rellinghausen. Also among the possessions of the abbey was the area around Huckarde, on the borders of the County of
Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
and separated from the territory of Essen by the County of the Mark. Approximately 3,000 farms in the area owed dues to the abbey, in
Vest Recklinghausen Vest Recklinghausen was an ecclesiastical territory in the Holy Roman Empire, located in the center of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. The rivers Emscher and Lippe formed the border with the County of Mark and Essen Abbey in the south, and to th ...
, on the
Hellweg In the Middle Ages, Hellweg was the official and common name given to main travelling routes in Germany. Their breadth was decreed as an unimpeded passageway a lance's width, about three metres, which the landholders, through which the Hellweg pa ...
and around Breisig and Godesberg. From 1512 to its dissolution the Imperial abbey belonged to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. The abbey's were, in sequence: * the
Counts of Berg Berg () was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. It was a member state of the Holy Roman Emp ...
* the Counts of the Mark (1288) * the Dukes of Cleves * the Dukes of Jülich-Cleves-Berg * the Margraves of Brandenburg (from 1609/48) In 1495 the abbey signed a contract with the Dukes of Cleves and Mark regarding the inheritance of the , whereby it lost some of its political independence in that it was no longer able to choose its own . Princess Abbess Franziska Christine founded an orphanage for the Essen Abbey Region near Steele. From 1802 the territory was occupied by
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 ...
troops. The abbey was dissolved in 1803. The spiritual territory of passed to
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
, then between 1806/1807 to 1813 to the
Duchy of Berg Berg () was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries. It was a member state of the Holy Roman Emp ...
and afterward to Prussia again. The last abbess, Maria Kunigunde von Sachsen, died on 8 April 1826 in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
. When in 1958 the Diocese of Essen was created, the former abbey church became
Essen Cathedral Essen Minster (German: ), since 1958 also Essen Cathedral () is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Essen, the "Diocese of the Ruhr", founded in 1958. The church, dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian and the Blessed Virgin Mary, stands on ...
, to which the abbey's treasury (), including the famous Golden Madonna of Essen, also passed.


List of the Abbesses, later Princess-Abbesses, of Essen

The dates of the rule of the abbesses are incompletely preserved. The sequence of the abbesses between Gerswid II and Ida is uncertain, particularly regarding the Abbess Agana. * Gerswid I (about 850; relative of Saint Altfrid) * Gerswid II (about 880) * Adalwi (d. 895(?)) * Wicburg (about 896–906) * Mathilde I (907–910) * Hadwig I (910–951) – it was probably under her that the abbey became ''reichsunmittelbar'' * Agana (951–965) * Ida (966–971) * Mathilde II (971–1011; granddaughter of
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor 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 ...
) * Sophia (1012–1039; daughter of
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...
; Abbess of Gandersheim Abbey from 1001) *
Theophanu Theophanu Skleraina (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', ''Theophane'' or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority ...
(1039–1058; granddaughter of Otto II) * Svanhild (1058–1085) ( de) – founded Stoppenberg Abbey * Lutgarde (about 1088–1118) * Oda (of Calw?) (1119–1137) * Ermentrude (about 1140–after 1154) * Hedwig von Wied (1154–about 1172; Abbess of Gerresheim Abbey) * Elisabeth I (1172–before 1216; Abbess of St. Maria im Kapitol (Cologne) and of
Vreden Vreden () is a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany near the Dutch border. The town is located near the river Berkel. The first mentioning of the town is proven for the year 839. In 1252 Vreden obtained city rights. Demographics Relig ...
Abbey) * Adelheid (1216–1237) * Elisabeth II (c. 1237–1241) * Bertha of Arnsberg (before 1243–1292) * Beatrix of Holte (1292–1327) * Kunigunde of Berg (1327–resigned 1337, died 1355; Abbess of Gerresheim) * Katharina of the Mark (1337–1360) * Irmgard of Broich (1360–1370) * Elisabeth III of Nassau (1370–resigned nk; d. 1412) * Margarete I of the Mark-(Arensberg) (1413–resigned 1426; d. 1429) * Elisabeth IV Stecke von Beeck (1426–1445) * Sophia I von Daun-Oberstein (1445–1447) * Elisabeth V von Saffenberg (1447–1459) * Sophia II von Gleichen, sister of the Abbot of Werden (1459–1489) * Meina von Daun-Oberstein (1489–resigned 1521; d. 1525) * Margarete II von Beichlingen (1521–1534) (Abbess of Vreden) * Sibylle von Montfort (1534–1551) * Katharina von Tecklenburg (1551–1560) * Maria von Spiegelberg (1560–1561) * Irmgard von Diepholz (1561–1575) * Elisabeth VI von Manderscheid-Blankenheim-Gerolstein (1575–resigned 1578 and married) * Elisabeth VII von Sayn (1578–1588) (Abbess of Nottuln Abbey) * Elisabeth VIII von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1588–1598) * Margarete Elisabeth von Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1598–1604; Abbess of Gerresheim, Schwarzrheindorf and Freckenhorst) * Elisabeth IX von Bergh-s’Heerenberg (1604–1614; Abbess of Freckenhorst and Nottuln) * Maria Clara von Spaur, Pflaum und Vallier (1614–1644; Abbess of Nottuln and
Metelen Metelen is a municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Vechte in the Steinfurt (district), district of Steinfurt. Metelen Land station is located on the Münster–Enschede railway and has an hourly train service ...
Abbeys) * Anna Eleonore von Stauffen (1644–1645; Abbess of Thorn Abbey) * Anna Salome von Salm-Reifferscheid (1646–1688) * ''vacant: Regency of the General Chapter (1688–1690)'' * Anna Salome of Manderscheid-Blankenheim (1690–1691; Abbess of Thorn) * Bernhardine Sophia of East Frisia and Rietberg (1691–1726) * Francisca Christina of Pfalz-Sulzbach (1726–1776; Abbess of Thorn)[ Ute Küppers-Braun: ''Frauen des hohen Adels im kaiserlich-freiweltlichen Damenstift Essen (1605–1803)'', Aschendorffsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Münster 1997, p. 155 * Maria Kunigunde of Saxony (1776–resigned 1802; d. 1826; Abbess of Thorn)


Burials

* Saint Altfrid


References


Bibliography

* Ute Küppers-Braun: ''Macht in Frauenhand – 1000 Jahre Herrschaft adeliger Frauen in Essen''. Essen 2002. * Torsten Fremer: ''Äbtissin Theophanu und das Stift Essen''. Verlag Pomp, 2002, . * Kahnitz, Rainer, "The Gospel book of Abbess Svanhild of Essen in the John Rylands Library, I", 1971, ''Bulletin of the John Rylands Library'', John Rylands University Library, Manchester, ISSN 0301-102X
PDF online


External links

*
Frauenstift Essen
*
Historischer Verein für Stadt und Stift Essen e.V.
*

{{Coord missing, North Rhine-Westphalia Christian monasteries established in the 9th century Monasteries in North Rhine-Westphalia Roman Catholic churches in Essen Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle Monasteries of secular canonesses Imperial abbeys disestablished in 1802–03 States and territories established in the 840s County of Mark 9th-century establishments in Germany 9th-century churches in Germany 845 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 840s History of Essen