Schuttern Abbey

Schuttern Abbey (Reichsabtei Schuttern) was a

.

History

According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 603 by the wandering

Imperial abbeys

in the country.

In 817 a Gospel Book (the Schuttern Gospels, now in the British Library in London), commissioned by the then Abbot Bertrich and written by the deacon Luithar witnesses among other works to the existence of a writing school of high quality in the abbey.

In 1016 the Emperor Henry II stopped at the abbey while returning to Frankfurt and visited the tomb of the founder Offo. The grave was covered by a precious mosaic showing Cain murdering Abel, which survives and can be claimed to be the oldest of its kind in Germany. The mosaic, although no longer entire, can now be seen in the church crypt.

Wars, lootings and arson were a frequent occurrence, and the abbey went up in flames on several occasions (938, 1153, 1166, 1169, 1240, 1334, 1520) but was always rebuilt.

On 6 May 1770 the abbey accommodated for a night the

.

in 1803 meant the end of the abbey, which was dissolved in 1806. The majority of the buildings were torn down or removed: the stones were used by the local population as a cheap building material.

Between 1972 and 1975 the archaeologist Karl List carried out investigations in the basement of the church. The remains of various predecessor buildings were preserved in a part of the church basement after the excavations were concluded and are open to the public.

References

• Galioto, Luisa, 2004. Die Abtei Schuttern: vom Stützpunkt zur monastischen Durchdringung der Ortenau zum repräsentativen und kulturellen Zentrum in Die Ortenau 84, 2004, pp. 253-266.
• Lacroix, Dr, Emil / Niester, Dr. Heinrich, 1959 edn. Kunstwanderungen in Baden, p. 190. Stuttgart: Chr. Belser Verlag.

External links

• (in German) Benedictine Abbey of Schuttern in the Abbeys of Baden-Württemberg database of the State Archives of Baden-Württemberg
• (in German) Historischer Verein Schuttern
• (in German) Kloster Schuttern at badischewanderungen.de

48°22′55″N 7°51′09″E / 48.38194°N 7.85250°E / 48.38194; 7.85250