This delightful sculpture is set into the wall of the old Cistercian Monastry at Altenberg. The figures were about 0.5 metre tall, and shows Stephen Harding and the three other abbots who established the first Cistercian monastry at Citeaux. Stephen was born in Dorset around 1070 and was placed in Sherbourne Abbey at an early age. He later gave up the life of a monk ,and travelled the continent as a scholar. In France he met Robert of Molesme, Albrech and Alberic of Citeaux, and together they established the first Cistercian Monastry. Within a few years the brotherhood had formed many monestries, including this one near Cologne in North Rhein-Westphalia. No one person established the order, but it was the leadership of Stephen that secured its success. He died of old age in 1134, and the order thrived until its secularisation in 1803, when the monastry fell into disrepair and was plundered. Money for its rescue and repair was provided by the Bavarian Kings, and over the years it has been refurbished. I cannot find a history of the Monastry in English, but if you click on the link below there are some lovely photos of the whole site.
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| The Nave. |
There is so much I could write about this beautiful place, and I hope you can find more information in English on the internet. I love the little cupboard doors below, they are reproductions, for when the monastry was plundered in the 19th century, everything of value was stolen. The church is now furnished with 13th/14th century works of art acquired from other places and with 20th/21st century sculptures, reliefs and copies of furnishings in other churches.
I arrived home on Monday evening from Remscheid, and it has been very hot ever since. I ventured out shopping on Tuesday afternoon, and again for a walk in the shade of the Buerger Park trees on Wednesday, but today (Thursday) I am staying in the cool of my flat until I go singing this evening. The temperature is predicted to be 30c today, much too hot for me to even put my head out of the door. Friends everywhere, drink plenty of water today.
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| Ohh, I'd like some cupboard doors like these! |
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| The huge west window, one of the largest stained glass windows in Germany. The colour here does not reflect its true glory, the yellows and ochres being much more intense. |
This delightful sculpture is set into the wall of the old Cistercian Monastry at Altenberg. The figures were about 0.5 metre tall, and shows Stephen Harding and the three other abbots who established the first Cistercian monastry at Citeaux. Stephen was born in Dorset around 1070 and was placed in Sherbourne Abbey at an early age. He later gave up the life of a monk ,and travelled the continent as a scholar. In France he met Robert of Molesme, Albrech and Alberic of Citeaux, and together they established the first Cistercian Monastry. Within a few years the brotherhood had formed many monestries, including this one near Cologne in North Rhein-Westphalia. No one person established the order, but it was the leadership of Stephen that secured its success. He died of old age in 1134, and the order thrived until its secularisation in 1803, when the monastry fell into disrepair and was plundered. Money for its rescue and repair was provided by the Bavarian Kings, and over the years it has been refurbished. I cannot find a history of the Monastry in English, but if you click on the link below there are some lovely photos of the whole site.
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