Springiersbach Abbey is a former Augustinian (

Canons Regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

) monastery, and currently a

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

monastery in Bengel municipality, in the

Eifel The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...

region of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

, Germany.

History

It was founded around 1102 by Bruno of Lauffen,

archbishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Rule of Saint Augustine The Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church. The rule, develop ...

. In 1107, the monastery became independent of the archbishopric, allowing the monks to elect their abbots freely. Entrance into the monastery was reserved for nobility, who would typically bequeath their lands to the monastery on entry. Construction of the abbey church began in 1123. The double monastery was abolished in 1128 with the establishment of the new women's monastery of St. Thomas in

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...

. Richard von Daun, son of Benigna, became the first abbot of the now men's monastery which was situated on his late father's farm. In 1137

Albero de Montreuil Albero de Montreuil () ( – 18 January 1152) was Archbishop of Trier from 1132 to 1152 and is the subject of the . Albero was born near Toul in Lorraine, a scion of the petty noble house of Thicourt-Montreuil; his parents were Gerard of Thico ...

, Archbishop of Trier, transferred his house at Stuben to Springiersbach for a house for Augustine canonesses, according to the wishes of his daughter Gisela, who wanted to live a life away from the world with her companions. Maria Martental Monastery in Leienkaul was founded about 1141 by Springiersbach, and soon became an important pilgrimage site. Kloster St. Irminen in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

came under the supervision of Springiersbach in 1148 before reverting to Benedictine rule again in 1495. Peternach Monastery was founded near

Boppard Boppard (), formerly also spelled Boppart, is a town and municipality (since the 1976 inclusion of 9 neighbouring villages, ''Ortsbezirken'') in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in the Rhine Gorge, a UN ...

around 1157. In 1769 the Romanesque structure was demolished and replaced with a new church 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 ...

style. The Augustinian convent was dissolved in the

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...

, and the abbey church became the parish church of Bengel. In 1902 Bengel built its own parish church. The Carmelite convent was established in 1922 from

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

. The convent was gutted by fire in 1940, but was reconstructed and restored.

Present Day

As of 2023 seven Carmelites currently live at Springiersbach Monastery, primarily working as healthcare chaplains and parish pastors and at the neighbouring "Carmel Springiersbach" retreat and education facility. Monthly concerts featuring well known soloists and orchestras are held in the church and the late-Romanesque chapter house."Konzerte im Kloster Springiersbach", Musikkreis-Kulturreisen
/ref> The abbey has also hosted music classes.

References

Sources

* Karl-Josef Gilles und Erwin Schaaf: ''Springiersbach. Von der Augustiner-Chorherrenabtei zum Karmelitenkloster 1102–2002''. (Schriftenreihe Ortschroniken des Trierer Landes, Band 36), Trier 2002, .

External links

* http://www.karmeliten.de/klosterspringiersbach.html {{Authority control Monasteries in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Bernkastel-Wittlich