| Medingen Convent | |
|---|---|
| Medingen Convent St. Maurice | |
 Medingen Convent | |
  Medingen Convent Location of Convent Medingen in Lower Saxony, Germany  Medingen Convent Medingen Convent (Germany) | |
| 53°05′26″N 10°33′55″E / 53.090601°N 10.565176°E | |
| Location | Medingen, Lower Saxony |
| Country | Germany |
| Denomination | Catholic / Evangelical Lutheran |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Convent |
| Founded | 1241 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
Medingen Abbey or Medingen Convent (German: Kloster Medingen) is a former Cistercian nunnery. Today it is a residence for women of Evangelical Lutheran faith (German: Damenstift) near the Lower Saxon town of Bad Bevensen.
History edit
First mentioned in 1228, the founding of the convent traces back to a legend of a lay brother called Johannes, who was told to build a new convent by an unknown voice. After what could almost be described as an odyssey to find a suitable place, he and four nuns who joined him in Magdeburg eventually settled in Altenmedingen, where the first buildings were consecrated on the 24th of August, 1241.[1].
Due to the military road passing through the convent yard and the ever present danger of attacks or arson, the convent decided to move one last time – to the village of Zellensen, today’s Medingen. The new church was consecrated on the 24th of August, 1336. A scriptorium became one of the main focal points of the convent – 44 manuscripts found worldwide can be attributed to the medieval nuns of Medingen. Songs originally found in these texts are still part of both Catholic and Protestant songbooks today. [2]
1479 saw the advent of the convent reforms.
Cultural heritage edit
A large number of medieval manuscripts was produced in Medingen, 44 of which have survived and are conserved all over the world. Furthermore, the brewery Brauhaus, built in 1397, survived the fire of 1781 and can still be seen today. It attests to the fact that the convent was originally built in Brick Stone Gothic style. [3]
Literature edit
- Hascher-Burger, Ulrike / Lähnemann, Henrike: Liturgie und Reform in Kloster Medingen. Edition und Untersuchung des Propst-Handbuchs Oxford Bodleian Ms. lat. lit. e. 18 (Spätmittelalter und Reformation. Neue Reihe), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2013
- Lähnemann, Henrike / Linden, Sandra: Per organa. Musikalische Unterweisung in Handschriften der Lüneburger Klöster, in: Dichtung und Didaxe. Lehrhaftes Sprechen in der deutschen Literatur des Mittelalters, Berlin/New York 2009, p. 397-412.
- Lähnemann, Henrike: Die Erscheinungen Christi nach Ostern in Medinger Handschriften, in: Medialität des Heils im späten Mittelalter, ed. by Carla Dauven-van Knippenberg, Cornelia Herberichs, and Christian Kiening, Chronos 2009 (Medienwandel - Medienwechsel - Medienwissen 10), p. 189-202.
- Lähnemann, Henrike: Schnipsel, Schleier, Textkombinatorik. Die Materialität der Medinger Orationalien, in: Materialität in der Editionswissenschaft, ed. by Martin Schubert, Tübingen 2010 (Beihefte zu editio), p. 135-146
External links edit
References edit
- ^ http://www.kloster-medingen.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=6 Der Ursprung des Kloster Medingen / The origins of the Medingen convent, website retrieved on the 3rd of June, 2013
- ^ http://www.kloster-medingen.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40%3Ader-umzug-nach-zellensen-dem-heutigen-medingen&catid=9&Itemid=6 Der Umzug in das heutige Medingen / Moving to today's Medingen, website retrieved on the 4th of June, 2013
- ^ http://www.kloster-medingen.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34&Itemid=19 Historisches Brauhaus und ehemaliges Knechtshaus / Historical brewery and former servants' house, website retrieved on the 4th of June 2013
Category:Monasteries in Lower Saxony Category:Christian monasteries established in the 13th century Category:Brick Gothic Category:Lutheran women's convents Category:Lüneburg Heath