Schöntal 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 ...

abbey in Schöntal in the district of Hohenlohe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is famous as one of the most impressive pieces of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

in northern Württemberg and is now used by the

Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, '' B ...

as a retreat and training centre.

History

The Cistercian monastery was founded in 1153 in Neusass by Wolfram von Bebenburg and was settled by monks from

Maulbronn Abbey Maulbronn Monastery () is a former Cistercian abbey and Prince-bishopric, ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire located at Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg. The monastery complex, one of the best-preserved in Europe, was named a UNESCO World ...

. The original site proved unsuitable and the new community moved to the present location in Schöntal on the Jagst between 1157 and 1163. The land for the new site was provided by the von Berlichingen family in exchange for rights of burial in the monastery. The monastery was under the protection of the Bishops of Würzburg. Despite a promising beginning, the abbey found itself in financial difficulties by the early 13th century. Maulbronn Abbey was also in financial trouble and gave Schöntal to Kaisheim Abbey, which settled its debts in 1283. After this, Schöntal made a recovery, and in 1418 at the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

was granted the status of

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 ...

, although it only retained this until 1495. It was plundered several times and suffered severe damage 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 ...

in 1525. Although it survived 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 ...

the buildings became uninhabitable and an emergency block had to be constructed in 1617–18, now known as the ("old abbey"). The monastery was besieged 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 ...

and the monks were eventually forced to flee in 1631, abandoning what remained of the buildings to looting and plunder. In 1648 the premises were several times used as soldiers' billets. The abbey finally experienced a revival under abbot Benedikt Knittel (in office from 1683 to 1732). Under his leadership was built 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 ...

abbey church, designed by Leonhard Dientzenhofer, in which

Götz von Berlichingen zu Hornberg (, ; 15 November 1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand (German language, German: Eisenfaust), was a 16th-century Germany, German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary and poet. He wa ...

is buried. Abbot Benedikt was also responsible for the palatial claustral buildings with the grand staircase by

Balthasar Neumann Johann Balthasar Neumann (; c. 27 January 1687 – 19 August 1753), usually known as Balthasar Neumann, was a German architect and military artillery engineer who developed a refined brand of Baroque architecture, fusing Austrian, Bohemian, Ita ...

. Some forty monks lived in the community, besides about thirty or lay brothers, who lived outside the monastery while following a monastic way of life. The abbey was secularised in 1802, when it was taken over by the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

. The furnishings and contents were removed to

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, and the buildings used initially for the accommodation of local government administration. From 1810 to 1975, Schöntal Abbey was one of the buildings used for the Evangelical Theological Seminary ( or ), now the Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren. Today the buildings are used by the

as a centre for conferences, retreats and training, as well as the town hall of the community of Schöntal. Most of the Baroque buildings and the monastery gardens have survived.

Sources and references

*
Schöntal Abbey website
*
Schöntal Abbey church website
*
Klöster in Baden-Württemberg: Zisterzienserabtei Schöntal
*''Württembergisches Klosterbuch'', p. 433 ff. Thorbecke Ostfildern 2003, *H. Hummel: ''Kloster Schöntal'', Schöntal 1991 *J. Brümmer: ''Kunst und Herrschaftsanspruch. Abt Benedikt Knittel (1650–1732) und sein Wirken im Zisterzienserkloster Schöntal'' (''Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken 40''), Sigmaringen 1994 *M. M. Rückert: ''Von der frommen Adelsstiftung zur reichsunmittelbaren Abtei: Kloster Schöntal in den ersten 250 Jahren seines Bestehens'', in: D. R. Bauer (ed.): ''Unter Beobachtung der heiligen Regel. Zisterziensische Spiritualität und Kultur im baden-württembergischen Franken (Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken 48).'', Stuttgart 2002, pp. 25–38

External links

Web page Schöntal Monastery
*
Schöntal Abbey website: Schools trips
*
Historisches Wuerttemberg website
*
Schloesser-magazin: Mehr über das Kloster Schöntal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schontal Abbey Imperial abbeys States and territories established in 1418 Monasteries in Baden-Württemberg Cistercian monasteries in Germany 1153 establishments in Europe 1802 disestablishments Baroque architecture in Baden-Württemberg Christian monasteries established in the 1150s Buildings and structures in Hohenlohe (district)