Scheyern Abbey, formerly also Scheyern Priory (), is a house of the

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

in Scheyern in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

First foundation

The monastery at Scheyern was established in 1119 as the final site of the community founded in around 1077 at

Bayrischzell Bayrischzell is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Bayrischzell is located in the Mangfallgebirge between Schliersee in the West and Oberaudorf in the East. It is located at the foot of Wendelstein mo ...

by Countess Haziga of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

, wife of Otto II, Count of Scheyern, the ancestors of the

Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

s. The first monks were from

Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of ...

, of which the new monastery was a priory, founded as it was against the background of the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...

and the

Hirsau Reforms William of Hirsau (; – 5 July 1091) was a Benedictine abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of Hirsau Abbey, for whom he created the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'', based on the uses of Cluny, and was the father of the Hirsau Reforms, whi ...

. The original site proved unsuitable for a number of reasons, including difficulties with water supply, and the monastery moved in 1087 to

Fischbachau Fischbachau is a municipality in the district of Miesbach in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Fischbachau is located in the valley of the river Leitzach, on an Alluvial fan at the east edge of the Leitzachtals and at the foot of Breitenstein mo ...

. When that site too proved unsuitable, they moved to Petersberg, in 1104. When Haziga, the widowed Countess of Scheyern, left Burg Scheyern in 1119 for

Burg Wittelsbach Wittelsbach Castle () was a castle near Aichach in today's Bavarian Swabia. The castle was first mentioned around the year 1000. In 1119, Otto IV, Count of Scheyern moved into the castle of Wittelsbach and converted his previous seat into Sch ...

, the castle from which the family subsequently took their name, the old castle, constructed in about 940, was given to the monks at Petersberg and became Scheyern Abbey, independent of Hirsau. Scheyern was considered a Wittelsbach

family monastery A house monastery, family monastery or dynastic monastery () is a 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 noble family in q ...

, which they used as a place of burial until 1253. The Wittelsbachs also retained the office of ''

Vogt 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 ...

''. The dedication is to the Holy Cross and the

Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was ra ...

: the abbey has had in its possession since 1180 a relic of the True Cross from

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, and is still today a place of pilgrimage for this reason. By the 13th century the abbey had already gained a reputation for its school of illumination and its

scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...

.McQuillen, J. T. (2013). "Fifteenth-Century Book Networks: Scribes, Illuminators, Binders, and the Introduction of Print." ''Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America.'' 107(4), 495–515. It suffered particularly severely in 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 ...

and did not participate afterwards in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

revival to the same extent as other monasteries in Bavaria. In the 18th century however it was refurbished in the style of the

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

. On 15 November 1802 the monastery came under the governance of the territorial rulers, and on 21 March 1803 was dissolved as part of the

secularisation In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

of Bavaria. The buildings were sold, and changed hands several times in a short period.

Second foundation

In 1838 however under

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

the monastery was re-established, and re-settled by monks from

Metten Abbey Metten Abbey, or St. Michael's Abbey at Metten (in German Abtei Metten or Kloster Metten) is a house of the Benedictine Order in Metten near Deggendorf, situated between the fringes of the Bavarian Forest and the valley of the Danube, in Bavaria ...

; in 1843 it regained the status of an abbey. Between 1876 and 1878 the church, now serving both the community and the parish, was restored to the Romanesque style. Scheyern now also possesses a Byzantine Institute, specialising in the works of Saint

John of Damascus John of Damascus or John Damascene, born Yūḥana ibn Manṣūr ibn Sarjūn, was an Arab Christian monk, priest, hymnographer, and apologist. He was born and raised in Damascus or AD 676; the precise date and place of his death is not know ...

. It also enjoys historical links with Hungary. Scheyern Abbey is a member of the

Bavarian Congregation The Bavarian Congregation is a congregation of the Benedictine Confederation consisting (with one exception) of monasteries in Bavaria, Germany. It was founded on 26 August 1684 by Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689). First Congregation Until the secula ...

of the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict () is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic congregations that nevertheless retain their own aut ...

Schools

Shortly after the re-establishment in 1838, a grammar school was opened. In 1939 all schools run by religious orders were closed, including Scheyern Abbey's. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

ic '' Gymnasium'' was opened here. It was replaced however in 1970 by the ''Schyrengymnasium'' in Pfaffenhofen. Once the transfer to the new school was complete, the monastery set up a residential high school for vocational training, the ''Staatliche Berufsoberschule'', a type of school which was considered very experimental at the time. It opened in 1976 and is still in operation.

Burials

Otto I of Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria Otto I (1117 – 11 July 1183), called the Redhead (), was Duke of Bavaria from 1180 until his death. He was the first Bavarian ruler from the House of Wittelsbach, a dynasty which reigned until the abdication of King Ludwig III of Bavaria in t ...

Louis I, Duke of Bavaria Louis I (; 23 December 1173 – 15 September 1231), called the Kelheimer or of Kelheim, since he was born and died at Kelheim, was the Duke of Bavaria from 1183 and Electoral Palatinate, Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1214. He was the only ...

Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria Otto II (7 April 1206 – 29 November 1253), called the Illustrious (), was the Duke of Bavaria from 1231 and Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1228. He was the son of Louis I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria, Louis I and Ludmilla of Bohemia and a m ...

References

External links

Scheyern Abbey
website
Klöster in Bayern: Scheyern
{{Authority control 1110s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1119 establishments in Europe Benedictine monasteries in Germany Monasteries in Bavaria Basilica churches in Germany Christian monasteries established in the 1110s