Neuburg Abbey

Neuburg Abbey, also known as Abtei Neuburg, Kloster Neuburg or, most commonly, Stift Neuburg, is a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint Bartholomew near Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It belongs to the Beuronese Congregation, a Benedictine reform congregation associated with the monastic renewal that developed around Beuron Archabbey. The site is therefore best understood as a religious and historic institution rather than as a conventional consumer brand or brewery business. The monastery was founded in 1130 by Anshelm, a monk from Lorsch Abbey, as a priory dependent on Lorsch. The first foundation struggled to establish itself. In 1195, Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Count Palatine of the Rhine, arranged for the community to become a nunnery and raised it to abbey status, but the change did not immediately solve its institutional difficulties. After Lorsch Abbey was suppressed in 1232, Neuburg came under the authority of the bishops of Mainz and later Worms. With support from nearby Schönau Abbey, a Cistercian house, Neuburg adopted Cistercian observance. This brought greater spiritual and financial stability and supported substantial building activity during the fourteenth century. A later decline led Frederick I, Elector Palatine, to restore Benedictine observance in 1462. The Reformation brought a decisive interruption. The nunnery was suppressed in 1562, after which the property passed to the Electors Palatine and served a variety of purposes. During the 1660s and 1670s it housed a Frauenstift, a collegiate institution intended principally for unmarried daughters of the nobility. Although that establishment was short-lived, it helped make Stift Neuburg the enduring local name. In 1706, Elector Johann Wilhelm II transferred the premises to the Jesuits of Heidelberg, who constructed much of the architectural complex visible today. Following the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, the property returned to the Elector. It was mortgaged to Heidelberg University in 1799 and entered private ownership in 1804. In the nineteenth century the property passed through private hands. In 1825 it was acquired by Johann Friedrich Heinrich Schlosser, a nephew by marriage of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. After Schlosser's death, ownership passed to relatives of his wife, the von Bernus family. The modern Benedictine revival began in 1926, when Neuburg was reacquired for the Benedictines from the poet and mystic Alexander von Bernus and resettled by Beuron Archabbey. The monastery was elevated again to abbey status in 1928. The restored community faced significant difficulties. Its first abbot, Adalbert von Neipperg, was elected in 1929 but resigned in 1934, after which an administrative board directed the abbey. During the Second World War, dissolution was avoided in part because the premises provided refuge for residents of an old people's home from the Ruhr region whose original facility had been destroyed by bombing. A more sustained period of development began in 1948 under the second elected abbot, Albert Ohlmeyer. The church was restored and enlarged and was rededicated in 1960. After Ohlmeyer's death in 1976, the community elected Maurus Berve. Following Berve's early death in 1986, Franziskus Heereman of Mariawald Abbey became abbot. Heereman resigned in 2016, and Winfried Schwab, a Benedictine from Admont Abbey in Austria, was elected. Schwab resigned in 2018. The supplied reference material does not identify a subsequent abbot or provide current operational, ownership or financial information. Neuburg Abbey's identity today rests on its continuing monastic community, religious heritage, architecture and historical association with the Heidelberg region, rather than on documented commercial product lines.

Neuburg Abbey was established in 1130 by Anshelm, a monk from Lorsch Abbey, as a dependent priory. The foundation was initially unsuccessful. In 1195, Conrad of Hohenstaufen, Count Palatine of the Rhine, transformed it into a women's monastery and elevated it to abbey rank, but the community continued to face difficulties. After Lorsch was suppressed in 1232, Neuburg came under episcopal authority, first associated with Mainz and subsequently with Worms. The intervention of Schönau Abbey, a nearby Cistercian monastery, led Neuburg to adopt Cistercian observance. This reform improved the community's religious and economic condition and prompted extensive construction during the fourteenth century. Decline returned later, and in 1462 Frederick I, Elector Palatine, restored the house to Benedictine observance. The convent was suppressed in 1562 during the Reformation. The property then belonged to the Electors Palatine and was used for several secular and institutional purposes. In the 1660s and 1670s it accommodated a Frauenstift, or collegiate foundation for unmarried noblewomen. Though brief, this phase contributed to the lasting name Stift Neuburg. In 1706 Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine, granted the premises to the Jesuits of Heidelberg. The Jesuits erected the principal buildings that define much of the present complex. When the Society of Jesus was suppressed in 1773, the property reverted to the Elector. It was pledged to Heidelberg University in 1799 and sold into private ownership in 1804. Johann Friedrich Heinrich Schlosser, a nephew by marriage of Goethe, purchased Neuburg in 1825. Following his death, it passed to his wife's family, the von Bernus family. The Benedictines returned in 1926, when the property was reacquired from Alexander von Bernus and resettled from Beuron Archabbey. The community was raised to abbey status in 1928. Adalbert von Neipperg became its first modern abbot in 1929 but resigned in 1934, after which an administrative board managed the institution. The abbey survived the Second World War without being dissolved. One factor was its use as a refuge for residents of an old people's home from the Ruhrgebiet after their home had been destroyed by bombing. Under Albert Ohlmeyer, elected abbot in 1948, the community entered a period of more substantial development. The church was restored and enlarged, receiving a new dedication in 1960. Ohlmeyer's death in 1976 was followed by the abbacy of Maurus Berve. After Berve's death in 1986, Franziskus Heereman, from the Trappist Mariawald Abbey in the Eifel, became abbot. Heereman resigned in 2016, when Winfried Schwab of Admont Abbey was elected. Schwab resigned in 2018. The available reference material does not state who succeeded him or provide detailed information about the abbey's current governance.

• 1960

  Church restoration completed

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  The restored and extended church was dedicated.

• 1928

  Restoration of abbey status

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  The renewed Benedictine community was elevated to abbey status.

• 1926

  Modern Benedictine resettlement

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  The site was reacquired for the Benedictines from Alexander von Bernus and resettled by Beuron Archabbey.

• 1706

  Transfer to the Jesuits

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  Johann Wilhelm II transferred the premises to the Jesuits of Heidelberg, who built much of the existing complex.

• 1562

  Suppression during the Reformation

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  The nunnery was dissolved and the premises became part of the property of the Electors Palatine.

• 1462

  Return to Benedictine observance

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  At the instigation of Frederick I, Elector Palatine, the community reverted from Cistercian practice to Benedictine observance.

• Foundation as a Lorsch priory

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  Anshelm, a monk from Lorsch Abbey, founded Neuburg as a priory dependent on Lorsch.

• Conversion into a nunnery

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  Conrad of Hohenstaufen arranged for the priory to become a nunnery and raised it to abbey status.

• Change in ecclesiastical authority

  [1]Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org

  After Lorsch Abbey was suppressed, Neuburg passed under the authority of the bishops of Mainz and later Worms.

Historic Benedictine monastery and religious heritage site associated with the Beuronese Congregation.

• 1960

  Restoration and extension of the churchOther

  Background

  The postwar community undertook substantial development under Abbot Albert Ohlmeyer.

  Action taken

  The church was restored and enlarged before being dedicated in 1960.

  Aftermath

  The work strengthened the site's role as an active Benedictine and historic religious complex.

  Source

• 1926

  Re-establishment as a Benedictine monasteryStrategy

  Background

  After a long period of secular and institutional use, the historic property was acquired for renewed Benedictine life.

  Action taken

  Beuron Archabbey resettled the site with Benedictines, beginning the modern monastic phase.

  Aftermath

  The community regained abbey status in 1928 and developed into a continuing Benedictine institution.

  Source

1. 1Neuburg Abbeyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official website of Neuburg Abbeystift-neuburg.de