Medingen (Bad Bevensen)
Encyclopedia
Medingen is a village in the borough of Bad Bevensen
in the German state of Lower Saxony
. In the 14th century it was called Zellensen.
In the 17th century a monastic farm estate known as Klosterhof Medingen (Medingen Monastery Estate) where, 50 years ago, a Trakehner
stud was established.
was founded as a branch of the Cistercian monastery at Wolmirstedt
(north of Magdeburg). In 1336 it was permanently established in Medingen. The monastery was originally built in the Brick Gothic
style.
The majority of nuns were unmarried daughters of Lüneburg
patrician families who joined the convent with large household staff and so increased the numbers living at the convent. Over the course of time the monastery was given rights to the Lüneburg Saline, to taxes, mills and shipping on the River Ilmenau.
In the early 16th century, in its heyday, the monastery was home to over 100 nuns.
In 1524, in the wake of the Reformation
, the lord over the area, Duke Ernest the Confessor
of Brunswick-Lüneburg issued the decree to transform it into a Lutheran establishment. The convent opposed this for more than 30 years in the "Nun's War" (Nonnenkrieg); the abbess had publicly burned the Lutheran Bible. In 1539 seized the monastery's property and had part of it torn down. In 1555, after the Lutheran creed was accepted the monastery was given some of its property back. In 1559 it was converted into a convent
.
In 1781 the buildings of the old monastery burnt down, apart from the brewery (Brauhaus). By 1787 it had been rebuilt, mainly in late baroque
, but partly neoclassical
style. There are two long convent wings with the church in the centre.
The convent has been run by abbesses right up to the present day. Medingen Abbey is one of the Lüneklöster that is managed by the monastic chamber in Hanover
under the legal supervision of the lady president.
53.0915°N 10.56198°E
Bad Bevensen
Bad Bevensen is a town in the north of the district Uelzen in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated to the east of the Lüneburg Heath . The Ilmenau river, a tributary of the Elbe, flows through Bad Bevensen...
in the German state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. In the 14th century it was called Zellensen.
In the 17th century a monastic farm estate known as Klosterhof Medingen (Medingen Monastery Estate) where, 50 years ago, a Trakehner
Trakehner
Trakehner is a light warmblood breed of horse, originally developed at the East Prussian state stud farm in the town of Trakehnen from which the breed takes its name...
stud was established.
Medingen Abbey
In 1228 the conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
was founded as a branch of the Cistercian monastery at Wolmirstedt
Wolmirstedt
Wolmirstedt is a town in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located 14 km north of Magdeburg, on the river Ohre.-History:*1009 first documentary mention*1274 Ruthger von Blumenthal appointed Vogt of Wolmirstedt...
(north of Magdeburg). In 1336 it was permanently established in Medingen. The monastery was originally built in the Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northern Europe, especially in Northern Germany and the regions around the Baltic Sea that do not have natural rock resources. The buildings are essentially built from bricks...
style.
The majority of nuns were unmarried daughters of Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
patrician families who joined the convent with large household staff and so increased the numbers living at the convent. Over the course of time the monastery was given rights to the Lüneburg Saline, to taxes, mills and shipping on the River Ilmenau.
In the early 16th century, in its heyday, the monastery was home to over 100 nuns.
In 1524, in the wake of the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, the lord over the area, Duke Ernest the Confessor
Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Ernest of Brunswick-Lüneburg , also frequently called Ernest the Confessor, was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a champion of the protestant cause during the early years of the Protestant Reformation...
of Brunswick-Lüneburg issued the decree to transform it into a Lutheran establishment. The convent opposed this for more than 30 years in the "Nun's War" (Nonnenkrieg); the abbess had publicly burned the Lutheran Bible. In 1539 seized the monastery's property and had part of it torn down. In 1555, after the Lutheran creed was accepted the monastery was given some of its property back. In 1559 it was converted into a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
.
In 1781 the buildings of the old monastery burnt down, apart from the brewery (Brauhaus). By 1787 it had been rebuilt, mainly in late baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
, but partly neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. There are two long convent wings with the church in the centre.
The convent has been run by abbesses right up to the present day. Medingen Abbey is one of the Lüneklöster that is managed by the monastic chamber in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
under the legal supervision of the lady president.
External links
- Bad Bevensen home page with information about the monastery
- History of the guild
- Klosterhof Medingen Trakehner Stud
53.0915°N 10.56198°E