Waldsassen Abbey

Waldsassen Abbey

Abtei Waldsassen
Cistercian
Established	12th century 1863
Disestablished	1803
Site
Location	Waldsassen, Germany
Coordinates	50°0′14″N 12°18′34″E / 50.00389°N 12.30944°E / 50.00389; 12.30944
Public access	partial

Waldsassen Abbey (German: Abtei Waldsassen) is a

.

History

First foundation

The monastery, the first Cistercian foundation in Bavaria, was founded by Gerwich of Wolmundstein, a

.

The first abbot was elected in 1133, making this one of the earliest Cistercian foundations.[1]

Imperial Abbey of Waldsassen Reichsabtei Waldsassen
1147–1543
Coat of arms
Status	Imperial Abbey
Capital	Waldsassen
Historical era	Secularised to Bavaria	1803
Preceded by Succeeded by Electorate of the Palatinate Electorate of the Palatinate

Soon the abbey became one of the most renowned and powerful of the times. As the number of monks increased, several important foundations were made at

. Several of its thirty-seven abbots up to the Reformation were noted for sanctity and learning; of them, Herman, the seventh abbot, and John, the seventeenth, as well as Gerwich, its founder, and Wigand, the first prior, are commemorated in the menology.

From the middle of the 14th century, Waldsassen alternated between periods of prosperity and decline. Wars, famines, excessive taxation, and persecution by the

(1504) the monastery, church, and farm-buildings were burned, but immediately afterwards rebuilt, and the new church was consecrated in 1517.

In 1525, during the German Peasants' War, part of the buildings were again destroyed, and were restored by Georg III (1531–37), the last of the first series of abbots.

From 1537 to 1560 in the course of the

.

After the

.

The buildings were sumptuously rebuilt in Baroque style after 1681^[1] and the number of the monks again became considerable.

The abbey became well known for its hospitality, particularly during the famines of 1702–03 and 1772–73, and during the French Revolution. Under Abbot Athanasius (1793–1803) science and learning were highly cultivated.

When the monastery was dissolved and

.

The abbey was sold, and used as a factory for making cotton.[1]

Second foundation

In 1864, the remains of the old abbey were bought by the

At first a priory, the nunnery was raised to the status of an abbey in 1925. The

basilica minor

in 1969.

The library of the abbey

The library was built in 1724-6 in late Baroque and early Rococo style. Richly and intricately carved shelves hold thousands of volumes bound in white pigskin and dark calfskin. Ten carved columns support a balustraded mezzanine with more shelves above. These ten columns are carved in the shape of allegorical figures around book production: rag picker, pigskin maker, bookbinder, author, bookseller, critic... grotesque men bent under their burden of supporting the mezzanine level but also burdened by human foibles of their profession such as vanity, ignorance and boastfulness.^[2] The lindenwood carvings were completed by Karl Stilp, a local sculptor, in 1725. The library also features a painted ceiling and ornamental plaster work. The painter Karl Hofreiter worked on the interiors.^[3][1]

The library hall is maintained by nuns of the Cistercian Sisterhood. Part of the former monastic premises now accommodates an International Ceramics Museum.

• Interior of the basilica
• 
• 
• 

See also

• Stiftsbasilika Waldsassen

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Waldsassen Abbey". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

External links

• (in German) Official website
• Panoramic photo of the library
• History of the abbey