St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier

Last updated
Imperial Abbey of St Maximin, Trier
Reichsabtei Sankt Maximin in Trier
before early 12th century – 1669
Wappen Reichsabtei Sankt Maximin.svg
Coat of arms
St. Paulin und zentral St. Maximin (Stich von Merian) mit Stadtmauer.jpg
St. Maximin's Abbey (centre) with St. Paulinus' church (left) and city wall of Trier. Engraving by Merian, c. 1646
StatusImperial Abbey
CapitalSt. Maximin's Abbey
GovernmentTheocracy
Historical era Middle Ages
 Founded
4th century
 Refounded by
     Benedictines

6th century
 Refounded after
     Norman destruction

899
before early 12th century
 Papal immunity confirmed
1140
 Surrendered to Trier
1669
1802
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Trier Arms.svg Electorate of Trier
Electorate of Trier Trier Arms.svg
Today part of Germany

St. Maximin's Abbey (German : Reichsabtei St. Maximin) was a Benedictine monastery in Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Contents

History

St. Maximin's Abbey. Engraving St. Maximin (Stich).gif
St. Maximin's Abbey. Engraving

The abbey, traditionally considered one of the oldest monasteries in western Europe, was held to have been founded by Saint Maximin of Trier in the 4th century. Maximin (died 346) and other early bishops of Trier were buried in the crypt of the church on the site, an early Christian cemetery, and the church, at first dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, was later renamed after Maximin. A Benedictine monastery was established here in the 6th century, possibly replacing an earlier community. It was destroyed by the Normans in 882 [1] and re-built from 942 to 952. In the 13th century it was destroyed by a fire and re-built again on the plan of the previous buildings. [2]

Albero de Montreuil failed to subject the abbey to Trier's jurisdiction in the early 12th century, but the question of the abbey's Imperial immediacy (German : Reichsunmittelbarkeit) was for centuries a matter of conflict, contested by Trier, to whom in 1669 the abbot formally renounced all claim to the status, making submission to the archbishop in his capacity as Prince-elector.

In 1674 the abbey was completely destroyed by French troops. It was rebuilt between 1680 and 1684 but, unusually for the period, still in a Gothic form.

The abbey was secularised in 1802. The monastic buildings were put to various secular uses — barracks, prison, school — and were totally destroyed in World War II except for the freestanding gateway. A school stands on the site.

The church of St. Maximin survived the war, but was de-consecrated, and between 1979 and 1995 converted to secular uses. In 1995 it opened as a concert hall, now well known for its exceptional acoustics.

Burials

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte Cassino</span> Historically significant hill in Lazio, Italy

Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about 130 kilometres (80 mi) southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, 2 kilometres west of Cassino and at an elevation of 520 m (1,710 ft). Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first house of the Benedictine Order, having been established by Benedict of Nursia himself around 529. It was for the community of Monte Cassino that the Rule of Saint Benedict was composed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maximin of Trier</span>

Maximin was the sixth bishop of Trier. His feast is 29 May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang of Regensburg</span> German saint

Wolfgang of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is regarded as one of the three great German saints of the 10th century, the other two being Ulrich of Augsburg and Conrad of Constance. Towards the end of his life Wolfgang withdrew as a hermit to a solitary spot, in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. Soon after Wolfgang's death many churches chose him as their patron saint, and various towns were named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Emmeram's Abbey</span> German abbey

Saint Emmeram's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded around 739 at Regensburg in Bavaria at the grave of the itinerant Frankish bishop Saint Emmeram. The original abbey church is now a parish church named St. Emmeram's Basilica. The other buildings on the site form a large complex known as Schloss Thurn und Taxis or Schloss St. Emmeram, which has served as the main residence of the Thurn und Taxis princely family since the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tegernsee Abbey</span>

Tegernsee Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around it are named after the Tegernsee, the lake on the shores of which they are located. The name is from the Old High German tegarin seo, meaning great lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonnberg Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria

Nonnberg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria. Founded c. 712/715 by Saint Rupert of Salzburg, it is the oldest continuously existing nunnery in the German-speaking world. The monastery complex is today a protected monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Saint-Maximin may refer to several places:

Münsterschwarzach Abbey, is a monastery for Benedictine monks in Germany. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Schwarzach and Main in Bavaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolingian architecture</span> Architectural period of the Carolingian Empire

Carolingian architecture is the style of north European Pre-Romanesque architecture belonging to the period of the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and 9th centuries, when the Carolingian dynasty dominated west European politics. It was a conscious attempt to emulate Roman architecture and to that end it borrowed heavily from Early Christian and Byzantine architecture, though there are nonetheless innovations of its own, resulting in a unique character.

Milo of Trier was the son of St. Leudwinus and his successor as Archbishop of Trier and Archbishop of Reims. His great-uncle Saint Basinus had preceded his father as Archbishop of Trier. He was the great-grandson of Saint Sigrada and Saint Leodegarius was his great uncle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbey of Echternach</span> Benedictine monastery in Echternach, Luxembourg

The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The abbey was founded in the 7th century by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg. For three hundred years, it benefited from the patronage of a succession of rulers, and was the most powerful institution in Luxembourg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorze Abbey</span> Monastery in Gorze, France

Gorze Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gorze in the present arrondissement of Metz, near Metz in Lorraine. It was prominent as the source of a monastic reform movement in the 930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dijon Cathedral</span> Cathedral located in Dijon, Burgundy, France

Dijon Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Saint Benignus of Dijon, is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy, France, and dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon. The Gothic cathedral building, constructed between 1280 and 1325, and dedicated on 9 April 1393, is a listed national monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Luxembourg</span>

The Catholic Archdiocese of Luxembourg is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, comprising the entire Grand Duchy. The diocese was founded in 1870, and it became an archdiocese in 1988. The seat of the archdiocese is the Cathedral of Notre Dame in the city of Luxembourg, and since 2011 the archbishop is Jean-Claude Hollerich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lütz</span> Municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Lütz is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Cochem. Lütz is a state-recognized climatic spa (Luftkurort).

Hidulf was an abbot, founder of Moyenmoutier Abbey, and reputed bishop of Trier. He is a Catholic and Orthodox saint. His feast day is 11 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Matthias' Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Trier, Germany

St. Matthias' Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egmond Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Netherlands

Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation, situated in Egmond-Binnen, in the municipality of Bergen, in the Dutch province of North Holland. Founded in 920-925, and destroyed during the Reformation, it was re-founded in 1935 as the present Sint-Adelbertabdij, in the Diocese of Haarlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altmünster Abbey</span> Former Benedictine monastery in Luxembourg City

Altmünster Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on the Plateau Altmünster, between the Fishmarket and Clausen areas of Luxembourg City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kloster Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen</span> Building in Schaffhausen, Switzerland

Kloster Allerheiligen is a former Benedictine monastery in the Swiss municipality of Schaffhausen in the Canton of Schaffhausen. The church Münster Allerheiligen is the oldest building in Schaffhausen, and houses also the Museum zu Allerheiligen.

References

  1. "Nortmanni Treverim cum monasterio sancti Maximini vastantes Galliam cremaverunt", Annales S. Maximini Trevirensis in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum series, II:213 (noted by Warren Sanderson, "The Early Mediaeval Crypts of Saint Maximin at Trier", The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians24.4 (December 1965:303-310) p. 304 note 1.
  2. A detailed account with bibliography is in Sanderson 1965.

49°45′35″N6°39′06″E / 49.75972°N 6.65167°E / 49.75972; 6.65167