Ottobeuren Abbey

Nov 192009
 

[Basilika Ottobeuren]Benedictine abbey in Ottobeuren, Bavarian Allgäu, Germany. Founded in 764 by Saint Tuto. In the 11th century the house was in decline, it’s structures in disrepair and the brothers known for lax discipline; Abbot Adalhalm rebuilt the abbey, added a convent and introduced the discipline reforms of Hirsau. The abbey burned in 1153. Rebuilt, it burned again in 1217. By the early 15th century the house had only a handful of brothers and very little income. In the early 16th century, however, Abbot Leonard Wiedemann led to the house to develop a reputation for Benedictine studies and as printers. The abbey was secularized in 1802 but restored as a priory in 1834 and an abbey in 1918. The abbey continues its good work today and is known for a rich music program. Monks of Ottobeuren include

    Michaelsberg Abbey, Siegburg, Germany

    Nov 022009
     

    Michaelsberg Abbey, Siegburg
    Also known as

    • Abtei Michaelsberg
    • Imperial Abbey of Michaelsberg, Siegburg
    • Reichsabtei Michaelsberg in Siegburg
    • Siegburg Abbey

    Founded

    Notes

    Benedictine monastery in Siegburg, Germany. Become involved in the Cluniac Reforms. The relics of Saint Anno II are still in the abbey church. From 1512 to 1676 the abbey was recognised as reichsunmittelbar, directly subject to the Emperor and no other civil authority; this led to rivalry and sometimes violence with the town of Siegburg. The abbey was dissolved during the secularisation of 1802 to 1803 and the structures used variously for a military barracks, lunatic asylum, and a slaughterhouse. Re-settled by Cistercians on 2 July 1914. Dissolved again in 1941, this time by the Nazis; the buildings were badly damaged during World War II. The monks returned home in 1945 and virtually rebuilt the place. Though sparesely populated, it is still in use today.

    Additional Information

    MLA Citation

    • “Michaelsberg Abbey, Siegburg”. Gazetteer of the Faith. Saints.SQPN.com. 30 December 2009. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/michaelsberg-abbey-siegburg/>

    Boxley Abbey

    Oct 112009
     

    Cistercian monastery in Kent, England. Founded between 1143 and 1146 by William Ypres, Earl of Kent, and originally staffed by monks from Clairvaux Abbey in France. It was occupied until the dissolution of monasteries in 1538. The site is now in private hands, and only fragments of the structures remain.

    The abbey was famous, and later infamous, for a relic known as the Rood of Grace, a wooden crucifix whose corpus was supposed to miraculously move and speak. In 1538 the famed relic was discovered to be a fake that “spoke” using levers and wires. Its exposure was used to discredit the monks and the monastic movement, it was exhibited several places, and then destroyed in London, England in a public demonstration.

    There was also a statue of Saint Rumwold at Boxley which could only be moved by people who lived pure lives. Purity was apparently measured by the size of a gift to the abbey since if the donation was sufficient, one of the monks would operate a ratchet mechanism that helped move the statue.

    See also

    Siegburg Abbey

    Oct 022009
     

    Savigny Abbey

    Sep 302009
     

    Also known as

    • Abbaye de Savigny

    Founded

    • 1105 by Vital de Mortain

    About

    Monastery near Savigny-le-Vieux, France. It was the central house of the Congregation of Savigny, who began as Benedictines; by 1150 it was Cistercian by which time it had 33 subordinate houses. Taken under papal protection by Pope Celestine II in 1119. Its monks were held in high esteem by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Over the centuries the house became known for lax discipline. It was pillaged and partly burned by Calvinists in 1509. It was finally destroyed and its monks dispersed during the anti-Catholic excesses of the French Revolution. Its church was restored in 1869, and in 1924 the abbey was listed as a Monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

    Monks of Savigny

      Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani

      Sep 282009
       

      Nelson County, Kentucky. Founded by 40 Trappists under Dom Eutrope Proust, from Mount Melleray, Ireland; made an abbey, 1850. The college was established by Dom Edward Chaix-Bourbon. It is most famous within the last century for being the home of spiritual author Thomas Merton (Father Louis), and has now become a place of pilgrimage and retreat for many.
         Abbey of Gethsemani
         3642 Monks Rd
         Trappist, KY 40051-6152
         (502) 549-3117
         monks.org

      Vézelay Abbey

      Sep 222009
       

      [Basilique à Vézelay]Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay, France. The site of the abbey was a former Roman villa. The buildings were looted and the religious dispersed by Moorish invaders in the 8th century. Refounded in the 9th century under the guidance of Saint Badilo. Relics from Saint Mary Magdelene were housed there from 1050, and the church had to be modified several times to accomodate the flood of pilgrims. The abbey was a jumping off point for pilgrims headed to Santiago de Compostela, and for Crusaders headed to the Holy Lands. The Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine was the abbey church, and in 1979 was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

      Malmesbury Abbey

      Sep 102009
       

      [Malmesbury Abbey]
      Founded

      Article

      Benedictine abbey in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. The Abbey was the site of an early attempt at human flight when, in 1010, the monk Eilmer of Malmesbury flew a primitive hang glider from a tower, covering 200 yards and then breaking both legs upon landing. The Abbey was substantially completed by 1180. The 431 foot tall spire, and the tower it was built upon, collapsed in a storm around 1500 destroying much of the church. The monastery was surrendered in 1539, and only a small part of the ruins are standing. The west tower fell around 1550, demolishing the three western bays of the nave; less than a half of the original building stands today.

      Profiled Monks of Malmesbury

        MLA Citation

        • “Malmesbury Abbey”. Gazetteer of the Faith. Saints.SQPN.com. 16 May 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/malmesbury-abbey/>
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