Lorch Abbey () was 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 ...

monastery in Lorch from 1102 to 1556 and again from 1630 to 1648. It was originally the

house monastery A house monastery, family monastery or dynastic monastery () is a Christianity, Christian monastery that has a particular relationship with a noble family. Often, but not always, what subsequently became the house monastery was founded by the nob ...

of the Staufer dynasty. Today, many of its buildings remain and are open to visitors.

History

Lorch was founded in 1102 by Duke Frederick I of Swabia; his wife,

Agnes of Waiblingen Agnes of Waiblingen (1072/73 – 24 September 1143), also known as Agnes of Germany, Agnes of Franconia and Agnes of Saarbrücken, was a member of the Salian imperial family. Through her first marriage, she was Duchess of Swabia; through her s ...

; and their sons, the future Duke Frederick II and King Conrad III.Leslie Anne Hamel, "Lorch", in John Jeep (ed.), ''Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia'' (Garland, 2001), p. 466.John Freed, ''Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth'' (Yale University Press, 2016), pp. 3–5. Its original buildings were completed by 1108 atop the ''Liebfrauenberg'' (Mountain of the Virgin). It lay on

allod Allod, deriving from Frankish language, Frankish ''alōd'' meaning "full ownership" (from ''al'' "full, whole" and ''ōd'' "property, possession"; Medieval Latin ''allod'' or ''allodium''), also known as allodial land or proprietary property, was ...

ial property a few miles north of

Hohenstaufen Castle Hohenstaufen Castle () is a ruined castle in Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The hill castle was built in the 11th century, on a conical hill between the Rems and Fils rivers (both tributaries of the Neckar) in what was then the Duch ...

on the other side of the river Rems. It at first served as a private church of the Staufer dynasty. In 1136, it was donated to the papacy and accepted by

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

. In 1139, Duke Frederick II was elected ''

advocatus An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'' by the monks. He was then appointed by his brother, King Conrad III, who ruled that the head of the dynasty would thenceforth always be elected ''advocatus''. In 1154, Frederick II's son, Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

, clarified that it was the eldest descendant of Frederick II and Conrad III who would always be ''advocatus''. It was probably around 1139 that Conrad III moved Frederick I's remains to the abbey for reburial. Many members of the Staufer family were buried at Lorch after 1140. The exact number and identity of burials is unknown. Conrad III desired to be buried there but was not. After the death of

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (, ), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke of Swabia (1254–1268) and nominal King ...

in 1268, Lorch was acquired by the

County of Württemberg The County of Württemberg was a historical territory with origins in the realm of the House of Württemberg, the heart of the old Duchy of Swabia. Its capital was Stuttgart. From the 12th century until 1495, it was a county within the Holy Roman ...

. From the 13th century, the lords of endowed a chapel olding a purported relic of the skull of

Saint Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptians, Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Roman Empire, Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of tha ...

. As a result, in the 15th and 16th centuries, they had the right to be buried in the chapel. In 1475, Abbot Nikolaus Schenk von Arberg opened the Staufer tombs and gathered the bones into a single new richly carved sarcophagus and placed it in the nave.''Lorch Monastery: Burial Place of the House of Staufer with Many Events''
Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten, Baden-Württemberg. Retrieved (along with subpages) on 30 November 2024. In the early 16th century, Lorch produced five

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * Illuminated (song), "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also

choirbook A choirbook is a large format manuscript used by choirs in churches or cathedrals during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The book is large enough for the entire choir to read from one book and may contain either monophonic gregorian chant or poly ...

s. The work was financed by

Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg Duke Ulrich of Württemberg (8 February 14876 November 1550) succeeded his kinsman Eberhard II as Duke of Württemberg in 1498. He was declared of age in 1503. His volatile personality made him infamous, being called the "Swabian Henry VIII" by ...

, and his wife, Sabina of Bavaria. Only three of the still survive today. They indicate that Lorch was part of the Melk Reform. Lorch was damaged on 26 April 1525 during the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt () was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was Europe's largest and most widespread popular uprising befor ...

. The damage was never repaired. The monastery was closed during 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 ...

in 1556. 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 ...

, it was briefly restored as a Catholic house under the Abbey of Saint Blaise in 1630. It was closed again with the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

in 1648. Plans to demolish the remains of the monastery were halted in the late 19th century, when it came to be seen as a monument to the Staufer. Today, it is operated by

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

's and is open to visitors.

Buildings

Lorch was a fortified monastery, surrounded by a rampart and stone wall with round towers. The wall as it still stands was built in the 13th century to expand the area of the monastery. It was renovated in the early 16th century. The eastern gate once had a tower, gatehouses and a moat with a drawbridge. The buildings were originally built in the Romanesque style. The largest building was the cruciform church, which mostly still stands. Its altar was dedicated to Saint Peter in 1139. It had two round towers on its west façade. Only the Marsilius tower remains, although its upper storeys and stone roof are 19th-century restorations. Originally Romanesque, the church received a Gothic renovation in 1469 under Abbot Nikolaus Schenk von Arberg.

Tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...

windows were added. Around 1500, the church had twelve altars. Once richly decorated, its decor has now been totally removed. This includes once sizeable relic collection. The eight piers of the nave are decorated with paintings of the Staufer kings from around 1500. The last of the church's furnishings, such as choir stalls, were taken out in 1833–1838, leaving an empty interior. The Romanesque reliefs decorating the

capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

in the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was retouched in the 19th century. The monks' residence, the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

, was attached to the church. Only its north wing survives, the rest a victim of the Peasants' War. It is now known as the "prelature" and includes the former dormitory, chapter house and refectory. There are murals of the life of Christ from about 1530 in the refectory. A modern mural depicting the sweep of Staufer history was added by Hans Kloss to the chapter house. The

half-timber Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

abbot's house, a separate building which also served as a guesthouse, still stands. The bailiwick, the residence of the steward and later used by the dukes of Württemberg during hunting trips, has been torn down. The monastery's outbuildings included a hospital, school,

cavalier house A cavaliers' house or cavalier house (from "cavalier" meaning horseman or cavalryman) was a building that formed part of the ensemble of a stately home, palace or ''schloss'' and was used to accommodate the royal or princely household. They emer ...

and

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the ...

s. The latter still stand, but the hospital and school are known only through archaeological excavations. A herb garden is still maintained at the site.

Burials

Known or suspected Staufer burials at Lorch include: *

Frederick I, Duke of Swabia Frederick I (c. 1050 – 1105 before 21 July) was Duke of Swabia from 1079 to his death, the first ruler from the House of Hohenstaufen (''Staufer''). Life Frederick was the son of Frederick of Büren (c. 1020–1053), Count in the Riesgau and S ...

* Henry (VI), Conrad III's son and co-king * Judith of Bavaria, Barbarossa's mother *Rainald and William, Barbarossa's sons who died in infancy * Beatrice of Swabia, Barbarossa's daughter *

Conrad II, Duke of Swabia Conrad II (February/March 1172 – 15 August 1196), was Duke of Rothenburg (1188–1191) and Swabia from 1191 until his death. He was the fifth son of Frederick I Barbarossa and Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy. Life After the third-born son of ...

* Irene Angelina, queen * Beatrice of Swabia, empress The Staufer were remembered annually by the monks on September 2. In addition, the tombs of the abbots were also in the abbey. There are many surviving tomb slabs, some richly decorated. Some of the Woellwarth tomb slabs are also preserved.

List of abbots

Lorch had 25 recorded Catholic abbots and one administrator. Their dates of tenure are often uncertain. and
''Monasticon Episcopatus Augustani antiqui: Verzeichnisse der Aebte, Pröpste und Aebtissinnen der Klöster der alten Diözese Augsburg''
(Bregenz, 1913), pp. 80–82. Lorcher_Chorbuch_1

# Harpert, 1102?–1124 # Kraft, 1136–1162 # Heinrich, 1162–1194 # Friedrich (I), # Konrad, # Ulrich (I), 1260–1278 # Gebezo, 1290–1295 # Friedrich (II), # Ulrich (II), dates uncertain # Kuno von Gundelfingen, resigned as abbot in 1329, as administrator in 1330 # Ludwg (I), 1337–1360 # Ludwig (II) von Stubenberg, 1360–1371 # Volkart (I) von Schechingen, 1372–1389 # Volkart (II) von Woellwarth, 1389–1399 # Johannes von Schechingen, 1399/1412–???? # Wilhelm Schenk von Arberg, 1416–1441 # Volkart (III) von Schechingen, 1441–1461 # Nikolaus Schenk von Arberg, 1460/77–1479 # Jodokus Winkelhofer, 1480–???? # Georg Kerler, ????–1510 # Sebastian Sitterich, 1510–1525 # , –1548 # Benedikt Rebstock, 1549–1563 # Friedrich (III) Kohler, 1630–1639, administrator # Vincentius Haug, 1639–1641 # Placidus Rauber, 1641–1648

History

Buildings

Burials

List of abbots

References

Further reading