Neresheim Abbey
The abbey on the "herten Feld"
The Härtsfeld
Neresheim lies in the easternmost part of Baden-Württemberg, in the triangle between Heidenheim, Aalen and the town of Nördlingen that is already in Bavaria. No matter from which direction visitors arrive, they will be impressed from afar by the silhouette of the Benedictine Abbey, which rises above the town on the Ulrichsberg at 582 metres above sea level. From here, the view stretches far across the high plateau of the Härtsfeld to the south, and on clear autumn days, as far as the snow-covered peaks of the Alps.
The Swabian Alb ends with the Härtsfeld plateau. The view is bordered to the north by its steep Trauf slope, to the south by the Danube plain, to the east by the meteorite basin of the Nördlinger Ries and to the west by the Kocher and Brenz valleys.
"This land is harsh, hard, covered by small mountains and is uncultivated. There are no vines and also little water. As such, as much as possible, one collects it in cisterns from rain and snow. But there is much grain and other fruits, oxen, horses and sheep".
This is what Sebastian Münzer, theologian and cosmographer, said about the area in his description "Von Teutschlande" published in 1544. It is, if you will, the first travel guide of the German regions. Forthwith, the Härtsfeld as well as Neresheim Abbey were extensively mentioned.
The foundation of the monastery
The foundation
Count Hartmann and Countess Adelheid of Dillingen-Kyburg founded Neresheim Abbey in 1095. Initially as a convent of canons (choir men). They offered their castle, built in the 9th century on the edge of the Brenzgau, to canons (choir men) as a home.
The patron saints
St. Ulrich, Bishop of Augsburg (+ 973), came from the family of the powerful Dillingen district counts. St. Afra, a martyr from Augsburg's Roman times, was the patron saint of the diocese. Ulrich and Afra were also chosen as patron saints for the abbey and church in Neresheim.
Hirsau reform
At the beginning of the 12th century, the Cluny reform increasingly influenced spiritual life in southern Germany. Especially through the work of the monks of Hirsau. In 1106, Count Hartmann called Benedictine monks from Petershausen near Constance to Neresheim. Monks from Zwiefalten followed in 1119. The canons' monastery became a Benedictine monastery in the Hirsau style.
Changing fortunes
Investiture controversy
In the power struggle between the emperor and the papal curia, Neresheim repeatedly suffered from fire and robbery. Like all monasteries of the Hirsau reform, the abbey faithfully sided with the Pope. King Konrad IV, son of the banished Staufer Emperor Friedrich II, burned it down for this.
Bailiwick rights
The secular protection of the monastery, the bailiwick, together with the associated tax, customs, forestry and hunting rights, lay in the hands of the founder counts of Dillingen-Kyburg. When they died out in 1258, the neighbouring counts of Oettingen-Wallerstein laid claim to succession by force. The monastery went up in flames. In a negotiation presided over by Bishop Albertus Magnus, the bailiwick claim was conditionally declared valid in 1263. The decision triggered a legal dispute that lasted 500 years and only ended in 1764 with the elevation of the abbey to imperial immediacy.
War turmoil
The Peasants' War raged in 1525. The abbey's archives and valuables were evacuated to Wallerstein, from where lansquenets were transferred to the monastery. The monastery remained unchallenged and the bailiwick proved its worth. In 1546, Karl V spent the night in Neresheim. The imperial visit was badly rewarded. The troops of the Schmalkaldic League robbed the monastery. The abbot was imprisoned in Wallerstein and ransom was extorted.
Desolation
During the Thirty Years' War, the Härtsfeld became desolate. Hunger, violence and epidemics destroyed entire villages. Regular monastic life ceased to exist. The monastery served as an office for a Swedish commandant. In 1647 there were still four inhabitants connected with the convent. The town of Neresheim was home to 290 souls.
Between Romanesque and Baroque
The monastery's turbulent history has left nothing of its Romanesque beginnings. The oldest surviving pictorial document is an engraving by Father Karl Stengel. The view, created around 1620, confirms the considerable dimensions of the monastery complex, even by the standards of the time.
Towards the north, the basilica with its bell tower stands at the highest point of the grounds. The convent dwellings with the cloister and the monastery garden as well as the prelature are located below it, in a south-westerly direction. The functional buildings of the finance office opposite them. Even though not a single wing of the building from that time has survived, this arrangement has essentially been retained to this day.
Only two buildings, already completed in the course of the 17th century, were integrated into the baroque monastery complex. They flank the convent building. On its south side is the prelacy, which was rebuilt after considerable fire damage. It forms the connection to the lower-lying utility wing. To the north is the new bell tower. It connects the abbey church and the convent building. The prelature and tower cleverly function architecturally as links between the individual buildings with different functions.
The bell tower
The tower has eight storeys. The lower three are square in the plan, the upper storeys are octagonal. Three life-size sculptures adorn the west side of the second storey: On the left, there is St Ulrich as a bishop with a staff, book and fish. At his feet, there is the family coat of arms of the counts of Dillingen-Kyburg; on the right, there is St Afra, bound as a martyr, at her feet the coat of arms of the Lusignan family; In their midst there is St Benedict with the legendary cup of poison in his hand. At his feet on the right, there is the convent's coat of arms. On the left, there is the coat of arms of the builder, Abbot Benedikt Rohrer. On the third floor, Christ the Redeemer is depicted on the left of the tower clock. On the right, Mary as the Virgin is crushing the head of the snake. All the figures were created by Kaspar Sartor from Eichstätt between 1619 and 1622.
The builders
The baroque monastery complex, as it is preserved today, was begun in 1694. Its construction took three decades, interrupted by the turmoil of war and financial difficulties. Its builders were Abbot Simpert Niggl (from the beginning until 1706) then Abbot Amandus Fischer (from 1711 until its completion).
The master builders
Three master builders were commissioned in succession: first the Bishop of Augsburg's master builder Valerian Brenner from Günzburg. He was followed by the master builder Hans Balthasar Zimmermann from Unterkochen. And finally, master builder Michael Wiedemann from Unterelchingen near Ulm began the construction of the convent complex.
First construction phase
"By virtue of a ready made plan", Valerian Brenner and twelve of his journeymen began to fulfil their building contract in the spring of 1694. As with most monastery buildings of the time, the renovation work in Neresheim also began with the service buildings. The first section, the south-western part, was completed in 1695. It contained: a flat for the monastery secretary, several guest rooms, the brewery, the bakery, the smithy, the locksmith's shop, the wainwright's shop and the cooperage. Today it houses all the rooms of the hospice as well as the monastery cellar.
Middle construction phase
The second construction phase involved the extension of the workshops and utility rooms. The third stage was an extension "in the front of the courtyard towards the churches". In the fourth stage, a stable was built between the prelature and the finance office for the horses of high-ranking visitors. Its walls now house the Count Hartmann Hall.
Last construction phase
In 1709 another "pig house" was built. It was not until the reign of Abbot Amandus Fischer that the utility area was completed. The master builder was now Hans Balthasar Zimmermann. According to his plans, a new farmyard barn was built in 1717, the entire renovation of the farmyard in 1722 and a large barn in 1723. This completed the buildings of the finance office around the monastery courtyard.
Convent buildings
At the time of Christmas 1698, another building contract was signed with Michael Wiedemann. Based on his designs, it was decided that a new convent building would be built. The south and west wings were built first. By 1712, they had reached the adjacent basilica. In the year of completion, a statue of the Madonna and Child by Melchior Paulus from Ellwangen was erected above the new monastery gate.
View of the Baroque renovation
In 1719, the banqueting hall on the upper floor of the convent building was redesigned. Its rich ornamentation by Dominikus Zimmermann includes a stucco relief depicting the baroque monastery complex.
Significance of the convent building
Although the Neresheim convent building is not one of the most extensive monastery buildings of the time, it shows the basic proportions of baroque architecture more impressively than many others in southern Germany. The façades are structured in the Italianate manner. The base, main and upper storeys are separated horizontally by a double cornice. Vertically, the building is divided by a Doric, Ionic and Corinthian pilaster order. Gable and segmental arches alternate in symmetrical order at the 2.5 m high windows. In the course of its comprehensive renovation in 2003, the west façade was also given back the gable extension that ends the vertically ascending central risalit.
