Riddagshausen Abbey () was a

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 just outside the city of Brunswick in

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 ...

History

It was founded as Marienzelle by Ludolf the Wend, a ''

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...

'' of

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195), also known as Henry III, Duke of Saxony (ruled 1142-1180) and Henry XII, Duke of Bavaria (ruled 1156-1180), was a member of the Welf dynasty. Henry was one of the most powerful German princes of ...

and steward of Brunswick, and settled in 1145 by monks from

Amelungsborn Abbey Amelungsborn Abbey, also Amelunxborn Abbey (''Kloster Amelungsborn''), is a Lutheran monastery in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located near Negenborn and Stadtoldendorf, in the ''Landkreis'' of Holzminden in the Weserbergland. It was the sec ...

. Henry endowed the new foundation in 1146 with the neighbouring village of Riddagshausen, from which it took its name.Klosterkirche Riddagshausen: history
The abbey early acquired '' reichsunmittelbar'' status as 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 ...

. It was mediatised in 1569 by Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, when it became a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

establishment. From 1690 it was also the home of a prestigious

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

seminary for training of preachers, the first in Germany. The religious community and the seminary were dissolved in 1809.

Description

The site, now included within the city of Brunswick, in the district of Wabe-Schunter-Beberbach, is now mostly a nature reserve and arboretum. The nature reserve ''Riddagshäuser Teiche'' is designated as

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

and

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

. The surviving buildings include the abbey church and the gatehouse, now home of the Cistercian Museum.Zisterziensermuseum website
/ref> File:Braunschweig Riddagshausen Tor zur Domaene von innen.JPG, Gatehouse File:Braunschweig Kloster Riddagshausen.jpg, Church File:Riddagshausen Klosterkirche Innen.jpg, Church, interior File:BS Riddagshausen Merian 1654.jpg, Riddagshausen Abbey in the 17th century

Notes and references

External links

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Riddagshausen: local history and photo gallery
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{{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Germany Imperial abbeys Monasteries in Lower Saxony 1140s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1145 establishments in Europe Lutheran seminaries Christian monasteries established in the 1140s Churches in Braunschweig History of Brunswick Museums in Lower Saxony Important Bird Areas of Germany Special Protection Areas Brunswick Ridddagshausen Duchy of Brunswick Lutheran universities and colleges in Europe