477:. A document from Heinrich (dated 1017) states that Eberhard had founded the abbey, and that it was a private or proprietary abbey. However, from the 12th century on, the abbey's chroniclers tried to label Heinrich (and later also his wife Kunigunde) as the true founder(s), in order to reduce the influence of the bishop. The abbey's financial status rested securely upon its great ownership of lands in the bishopric, eventually extending to 441 towns and villages. It became one of the culturally most important Benedictine abbeys in southern Germany, with its
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684:, both secular and ecclesial. Not much is known about the size and structure of the initial buildings. An earthquake on 3 January 1117 apparently only slightly damaged the church, but Bishop Otto had the whole building (and the monastery) torn down and rebuilt on a larger scale by one Richolf, in accordance with the architectural concepts of the Hirsau Reforms. The new (and current) building, basically a
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the choir, the
Romanesque apses were replaced by two-storied structures. Under Anselm the church interior was mostly replaced: a new high altar, two choir stalls, an altar was added to the crossing and two to the transepts. Six altars were added to the side-aisles and three galleries were built. Under his rule the church largely took on its current appearance. A replica
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498:. Michaelsberg joined this reform movement in 1467. Building activity surged: the guest house was built and the dormitory expanded. Changes were also made to the church. Abbot Andreas Lang (died 1503) had an inventory of all the abbey's possessions created and the abbey flourished under his rule. The abbey once again suffered during the
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After his death Bishop Otto was buried on 3 July 1139 in a tomb in the nave, in front of the altar dedicated to St. Michael. In 1287/8 a polychrome sculpture was created as a tomb figure, showing Otto with pallium, mitre, staff and book. Today it stands against the wall of the crypt. The current tomb
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sacked the abbey. In 1435, the abbey came into conflict with the townspeople of
Bamberg and was plundered. In 1446 the abbey's debt had grown so large, that the bishop, Anton von Rotenhan (1431–59) deposed the abbot Johannes I. Fuchs and took control of the abbey directly. A thorough reform only came
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army. In the 17th and 18th centuries the abbey recovered, and enjoyed a new period of prosperity in the early 18th century, notably under abbot
Christoph Ernst von Guttenberg (died 1725). He managed to restore the abbey to sound financial health, laying the groundwork for the building that followed.
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exterior façade. It was finished by August 1700. The large exterior stairway followed in 1722/3. Johann
Dientzenhofer built the terrace and the high choir after 1725, under abbot Anselm Geisendorfer. This created the crypt in which the tomb of Saint Otto is situated today. To the left and right of
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in 1189, together with the papal protection granted to the abbey in 1251, was of enormous advantage in increasing the independence of the abbey from the bishops. Under abbot
Wolfram (d. 1123), appointed by Otto, the number of monks on the Michaelsberg reached its all-time high of 70 (from 20 under
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of 1802 the abbey still owned substantial property in
Bamberg itself as well as estates in no fewer than 141 places in the surrounding area. On 30 November 1802 Bavarian troops confiscated the abbey's assets. Valuable books were removed to the library of the Bavarian court, the predecessor of the
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contributed after 1742 and which his successor as abbot, Ludwig Dietz (died 1759), finished in 1744. In terms of construction, Ludwig and his successor, Gallus
Brockard (died 1799), mostly focused on the park created on the terraces around the abbey. In the latter half of the 18th century, the
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and living quarters built during the
Baroque period from massive sandstone surround the substantial two-spired church. In turn they are enveloped by the terrace gardens which surround the abbey on three sides. The palace-like three-storied main wing faces north, towards the
764:"An entirely alien component of the church furnishings consists of those episcopal gravestones which Ludwig I ordered to be removed from the cathedral during its restoration, as stylistically inappropriate, and which were set up in the Michelskirche instead."
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used to be open to the public. However, due to structural integrity issues, the church has been closed since 2012. Work on what is expected to be a €50 million restoration began in the spring of 2016. This is expected to be finished in 2021 at the earliest.
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On 13 April 1803 the abbey was dissolved. The 21 monks then resident were obliged to leave. In 1808, the hospital became the formal owner of the buildings, but in 1817 the town took over. The abbey still houses the municipal retirement home
1005:
Ein ganz fremder
Bestandteil der Kirchenausstattung sind jene fürstbischöflichen Grabdenkmäler, welche auf Anordnung König Ludwigs I. bei der Restauration des Domes als nicht stilgemäß aus diesem entfernt und in die Michelskirche versetzt
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started immediately. By
October, the choir had a new roof and by 1614 the westworks with the two repaired towers had been finished. Reconstruction of the nave followed, and its ceiling was painted with the
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under bishop Georg I. von Schaumberg (1459–75), who appointed Eberhard von Venlo (died 1475) as abbot in 1463. He had come with some other monks from the monastery of St. Jakob near Mainz, a member of the
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On 27 April 1610, work on the roof resulted in a fire which destroyed all the roofs and the nave, but the tomb of Otto was virtually unaffected. Under abbot Johann V. MĂĽller (died 1627) the rebuilding in
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and after additional conflict with his monks left the abbey in June 1740. In 1743 he was deposed. However, besides his work on the church (see below), Anselm was able to start a rebuilding of the
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In 1952, the interior of the church was renovated. Work on the towers followed in 1985-7 and on the Holy Sepulchre 1985–96. In 2002, repair work on all the church roofs was completed.
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Due to its exposed location on top of the hill, the former abbey buildings are visible from many places in Bamberg. The structures enhance the impact on the viewer by their bulk. The
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had taken place some time before 1185. After Otto's canonization he became a patron of the abbey, together with St. Michael. Until the 18th century, the abbey continued to fight the
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The former abbey church of Saint Michael is now an ancillary church to the cathedral. Since 1993, the area has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
599:(St. Katharina and St. Elisabeth), to transfer the institution to the hill from the town centre, preventing the abbey buildings from being demolished.
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Even before that seizure, in September 1802, the Bavarian government followed a suggestion by Friedrich Adalbert Marcus, the head of the hospital
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Heinrich supported the abbey with rich gifts, including properties. Three books with which the abbey was initially endowed are still in the
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Band 44/ 2002), ed. by Josef Kirmeier, Bernd SchneidmĂĽller, Stefan Weinfurter and Evamaria Brockhoff, Augsburg 2002, p. 30-51 (German)
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The hill was inhabited before the abbey was founded. Excavations have uncovered massive walls and a moat from the 10th century.
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The still-extant organ-loft was also constructed very soon after the fire, in 1610, and is a significant work of German late
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Das Benediktinerkloster Michelsberg 1015-1525. Eine Untersuchung zur GrĂĽndung, Rechtsstellung und Wirtschaftsgeschichte
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developed a plan for "purifying" the interior of the church, but the replacement of the Baroque style elements with
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and the painting over of the botanical ceiling frescoes were prevented by popular protests and the intervention of
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In 1833, the colorful painting of façade and statuary on the stair was removed and in 1837 on the orders of King
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and the monasteries of St. Stephan and St. Gangolf it formed part of a T-shaped cross in Bamberg's topography.
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752:, ten gravestones and memorials of the bishops of Bamberg from the 16th to the 18th century were removed from
573:. Attempts at reform by the final abbot, Cajetan Rost (died 1804), were cut short by the abbey's dissolution.
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financial situation of the abbey had deteriorated significantly as a result of mismanagement, the
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Michaelsberg was in competition with both other abbeys that were being rebuilt in Baroque style (
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348:"Town of Bamberg". As of 2016 and for the foreseeable future, the church is closed for repairs.
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from 1697) and the bishop who in 1695 had begun to expand his residence on the opposite hill.
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Historischer Verein fĂĽr die Pflege der Geschichte des Ehemaligen FĂĽrstbistums Bamberg
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Kaiser Heinrich II. 1002-1024. Katalog zur Bayerischen Landesausstellung 2002
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A decline set in around 1420, resulting in reform attempts. In 1430, the
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was also ordered by Anselm. Georg Adam ReuĂź later made the pulpit in
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in the municipal area and with its steep eastern decline towards the
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style, the final important piece of art added to the abbey church.
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Abbot Anselm Geisendorfer came into confrontation with his bishop,
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here until his death in 1103. The abbey flourished under Bishop
330:. After its dissolution in 1803 the buildings were used for the
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Die ehemalige Benediktinerklosterkirche St. Michael in Bamberg
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View of Michaelsberg from the Rose Garden of the New Residence
458:(d. 1139), whose burial in the abbey church and subsequent
442:, which also resulted in the building of a new church. The
680:, Emperor Heinrich and a large share of the rulers of the
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in various legal battles, trying to achieve the status of
360:, one of the hills of Bamberg, overlooking the town. With
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Die einzigartig geliebte Stadt - Heinrich II. und Bamberg
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Former Benedictine monastery in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
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Veröffentlichungen zur Bayerischen Geschichte und Kultur
19:
For Michaelsberg Abbey in North Rhine-Westphalia, see
914:. Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte - Klöster in Bayern
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1062:(Die Plassenburg Bd. 39), Kulmbach 1977 (German)
861:(died 1168), German monk known for some writings
848:(died 1163), German monk known for some writings
517:the abbey was occupied for several years by the
1089:St. Michael zu Bamberg. Grabkirche des hl. Otto
1044:Klöster in Bayern: Kloster Michelsberg, Bamberg
824:The church, gardens and areas not used by the
335:Vereinigtes Katharinen- und Elisabethen-Spital
1117:Beiheft 27), Lichtenfels/ Main 1992 (German).
737:in a side chapel that already reflects early
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688:church, was consecrated on 1 September 1121.
597:Vereinigtes Katharinen- und Elisabethenspital
541:) were added in several waves: after 1696 by
287:Position of the abbey in the Bamberg old town
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1074:Sakrale Emblematik in St. Michael zu Bamberg
1019:"Sanierung von St. Michael beginnt (German)"
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912:"Michelsberg Bamberg - Geschichte (German)"
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1131:Benedictine monasteries in Germany
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1067:Die Benediktinerklöster in Bayern
631:Sketch plan of the abbey precinct
375:is significantly higher than the
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194:49.8936111111°N 10.8772222222°E
1076:. Verlag Harrassowitz (2002),
344:The buildings are part of the
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1141:1015 establishments in Europe
545:and from 1708 by his brother
970:. DKV-KunstfĂĽhrer, MĂĽnchen.
554:Friedrich Karl von Schönborn
537:The agricultural buildings (
399:by King (and later Emperor)
300:St. Michael's Abbey, Bamberg
199:49.8936111111; 10.8772222222
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589:Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
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430:History in the Middle Ages
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571:French Revolutionary Wars
438:. The abbey followed the
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966:Ruderich, Peter (2009).
852:Herbord of Michelsberg
577:Dissolution of the abbey
481:being especially famed.
436:Staatsbibliothek Bamberg
268:Europe and North America
76:Location within Bavaria
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1021:. BR.de. 7 March 2016
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878:Notes and references
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500:German Peasants' War
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308:Kloster Michaelsberg
33:Kloster Michaelsberg
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910:Lankes, Christian.
839:Ebo of Michelsberg
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107:Show map of Germany
79:Show map of Bavaria
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292:Michaelsberg Abbey
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254:Reference no.
45:West front of the
27:Michaelsberg Abbey
1087:Mayer, Heinrich:
1065:Hemmerle, Josef:
977:978-3-422-02219-5
754:Bamberg Cathedral
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299:
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291:
290:
46:
1047:(in German)
855: [
842: [
796: [
773: [
615:Description
560:, to which
526:from 1681,
479:scriptorium
446:and author
424:Fulda Abbey
412: [
401:Heinrich II
369:Steigerwald
316:Benedictine
312:Michelsberg
197: /
172:Coordinates
142:Established
136:Benedictine
122:Other names
1125:Categories
686:Romanesque
532:Banz Abbey
444:chronicler
409:Eberhard I
239:Designated
185:10°52′38″E
182:49°53′37″N
768:In 1886,
470:Hochstift
332:almshouse
866:See also
781:Domvikar
586:present
491:Hussites
352:Location
231:Criteria
226:Cultural
163:Location
1025:26 July
1006:wurden:
918:20 July
730:Baroque
678:Pilgrim
519:Swedish
513:In the
383:History
377:Domberg
373:Regnitz
328:Germany
324:Bavaria
320:Bamberg
298:, also
246:session
166:Bamberg
1098:, in:
1080:
974:
826:Spital
743:Rococo
547:Johann
304:German
264:Region
244:(17th
234:ii, iv
153:1802/3
859:]
846:]
817:Today
800:]
777:]
674:Aribo
452:prior
416:]
242:1993
131:Order
1078:ISBN
1027:2016
972:ISBN
920:2016
676:and
642:Main
456:Otto
450:was
422:and
223:Type
158:Site
145:1015
1102:(=
806:at
783:at
322:in
310:or
294:or
258:624
1127::
928:^
886:^
857:de
844:de
810:.
802:,
798:de
779:,
775:de
644:.
611:.
592:.
426:.
414:de
407:,
341:.
326:,
306::
1113:(
1084:.
1029:.
1008:"
1003:"
980:.
922:.
506:(
302:(
248:)
23:.
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