St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey
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Image:St Georgenberg from N.jpg St. Georgenberg from c. N | Image:Fiecht Abbey from ENE 2007.jpg Fiecht Abbey from c. E |
St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey, the successor of St. Georgenberg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery situated, since 1708, in Fiecht (in the community of Vomp in the Tyrol, Austria) as well as continuing on its original place. It is one of the two oldest (if not the oldest) monasteries in the Tyrol. The other one is Wilten Abbey in Innsbruck (approved by the pope the same day as Georgenberg, on April 30, 1138).
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[edit] History
According to legend, the monastery originated as a hermitage in about the middle of the 10th century through Blessed Rathold of Aibling[1] or Rapoto, of the ancient noble family of the Rapotonen, on the Georgenberg ("St. George's Mount"), a rocky outcrop rising some hundred metres above the Stallental valley near Stans. Considerable donations given to the community as soon as in about 1000 by Albuin Bishop of Brixen and in 1097 by Henry IV create evidence that there was well-established monastery rather than a hermitage, by that time.
St. Georgenberg monastery was turned into a Benedictine Abbey in 1138 by Reginbert, Bishop of Brixen. After the forth conflagration which completely ruined all buildings on October 31, 1705, it was rebuilt at a place named Fiecht, in the valley of the Inn, and became operative again in 1708. Then, the pilgrimage church on Georgenberg was rebuilt by 1735.
For lack of money, the buildings for the convent and the church there (which was begun in 1741 and finished in 1750; its tower was finished as late as 1781) became uniquely modest but thereby especially impressing examples of Baroque architecture. Only the inside of the church and the trompe l'oeil façade which is only seen from the convent were fitted out the way which is typical for that epoque: Artists from Wessobrunn School, like Franz Xaver Feuchtmayer the Elder and his Brother Michael, the frescoist Matthäus Günther, and well-renommated Tyrolean and other sculptors were engaged.
Fiecht Abbey was suppressed by the Bavarian Government in 1807, but was restored in 1816, when the Tyrol became part of Austria again. It, too, suffered from conflagration in 1868 which ruined most of the collection of graphic art, but almost spared the library. Between 1941 and 1945 the abbey was impounded by the Gestapo and the monks exiled, to return after the end of the World War II.
Since 1967 the abbey is a member of the Ottilien Congregation (Missionary Benedictines) of the Benedictine Confederation.
[edit] Pilgrimage churches on the Georgenberg
Pilgrimages here began around 1100 and were increased after the "blood miracle" that is reported to have happened in about 1310. The main objects of veneration are Saint George, a Gothic Pietà sculpture from about 1415 and the reliquary of the Holy Blood (moreover, the chronicle of 1480 lists relics of 132 saints). The present church was re-built after the 1705 fire in the approximate shape of 1660 as a Baroque building which was finished by 1735, but underwent further changes in 1863 (frescoes), and 1866.
Lindenkirche, a small church dedicated to St. Mary, existed as a stone building since about 1230 and housed the Pietà until it was transferred to the mayor Ss George and James' church in 1736. Changes to the building were made in 1759 and 1882, but its Romanesque porch is still intact. [2]
As otherwise there would not be acces to the monastery but climbing, a bridge was constructed by the 15th century, which had to be restored by 1709, after the great fire. Its name is Hohe Brücke (the high bridge). When walking up from Stans, many pilgrims still take the way through romantic Wolfsklamm.
[edit] References
- ^ The earliest written document on this is abbey's first printed chronicle, from about 1480. St. George is the patron of Aibling, Germany
- ^ Data from official Tiroler Kunstkataster, see external links.
- More detailed information on de:Abtei St. Georgenberg-Fiecht
[edit] Literature
- (German) Naupp, Thomas, Festschrift: 850 Jahre Benediktinerabtei St. Georgenberg-Fiecht, 1138-1988 (580 pages), 1987. ISBN 3-88096-631-1 (quoted as "Festschrift").
- (German) Naupp, Thomas, in Germania Benedictina Bd III-1, 2000. ISBN 3-8306-7029-X contains a topic article with probably most recent data.
- (German) N.N. (very probably by abbot Kaspar Augsburger): Chronicle, printed around 1480, probably by A. Sorg in Augsburg. The apparently first printed book existing in the Tyrol. It also lists all relics owned by the monastery.
- (German) Benedikt Herschl, abbot: Athos Georgianus, List of relics, illustrated with many engravings, Innsbruck 1652.
- Jeffery, Peter: St. Georgenberg-Fiecht (Descriptive inventories of manuscripts microfilmed for the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library Austrian libraries 2), Collegeville, Minn.: HMML 1985 (400p).
[edit] External links
- More pictures on St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Monastery on Wikimedia Commons
- St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey's history
- (German) St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey website
- (German) Zoomable map and Kunstkataster, by Tyrolean government.
Click (i)-button, then click on an object to get a popup with related information. - Panoramic views (java) of Fiecht and interior
Coordinates: de:Abtei St. Georgenberg-Fiecht
