Kreuz des Patriarchen von Jerusalem im Kreuzgang des Klosters

 
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Back to overview: History of Kloster Denkendorf

 
Well below the monastery church

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Denkendorf's coat of arm is the cross of the Patriarch of Jerusalem displayed in the upper left hand corner of this page. This cross with its two crossbeams can be found on the gravestones in the vestibule of the monastery church, on the pulpit, and on the crown stones on the vaults of the cloister and the chapter house. It indicates that the monastery was founded during the times of the crusades and pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

Around 1125, a certain Noble Bertholdus, Denkendorf's lord, undertook such a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in order to pray in the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He owned a private chapel devoted to Pelagius, which was built between 1050 and 1100 and situated on what is nowadays known as the 'Klosterhügel' (monastery hill). In Jerusalem, he donated his church in Denkendorf and all its revenue to the Order of the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre. Then the head of the Order, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, sent a canon to Denkendorf, with orders to found a settlement of the Order of the Brothers of the Holy Sepulchre. This led to the establishment of Kloster Denkendorf. The oldest document relating to the new foundation is dated 1129.

At first, the canons erected lodgings beside the church - the original Romanesque monastery. Today, no trace of it remains. By the year 1200 the order had become so prosperous from donations that it could plan the construction of a new, larger church. The old church was demolished. Only the tower was left standing. Now it is the oldest remaining part. The Denkendorf monastery church was built between 1200 and 1250.
 

The main intention in establishing a new church was to create a space for the holding of special services where the canons could express their attachment to their mother church, the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. For this purpose, the crypt was built. Here, order members celebrated the death and resurrection of Christ beside an empty tomb, as they used to do at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The tomb turned the crypt into the spiritual centre of the monastery. The most valuable ornaments in the crypt are the sculptures on the imposts with their motifs and ornaments: mysterious masks, animals and plants, entwined in each other.

In 1291, the crusader's reign in Palestine finally collapsed under the pressure of the Mamluks. Now believers from Germany were granted the same indulgences for carrying out a pilgrimage to Denkendorf, especially on Good Fridays, as they had formerly been granted for prayers at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Denkendorf became a heavily visited pilgrimage church. A pilgrims' grave yard originating from this period was discovered. Even today, 'Little Jerusalem' is still locally used as a nickname for Denkendorf.

Initially, the emperor in his role as patron provided secular protection of the monastery. This was adequate as long as the emperors were also dukes, as during the period of the house of Hohenstaufen. But subsequently, the emperor was too far away to offer any effective protection. The monastery became involved in the power struggle between the free imperial city Esslingen and the up and coming princes of Württemberg. It was destroyed by Esslingen in 1377 and struggled to recover. Only after the war with the towns was resolved in the princes' favour and the rulers of Württemberg took on the protective jurisdiction on a permanent basis could the canons seriously begin to think about reconstruction. Between 1449 and 1508, the chapter house and the cloister, linked to the South aisle of the church, were newly built in a late Gothic style.
  

The last Provosts before the Reformation, Peter Wolff (1477-1508), Johannes Unger (1508-1516) and Martin Altweg (1516-1521) were closely connected to the house of Württemberg in their role as personal advisers to the duke. Wolff and Unger were godfathers of the future dukes Ulrich and Christoph. As prelates, they were members of the regional parliament with voting rights. Their portraits on the gravestones in the vestibule of the church reflect their self-image as powerful lords. Unger also had himself painted as founder on the altarpiece in the choir. These provosts were keen builders who added many a treasure to monastery and church. Johannes Unger and Martin Altweg had the window arch in the crypt decorated with frescos depicting the lives of their patron saints, John the Baptist and Saint Martin. The angels playing their instruments between the leaf tendrils show that the provosts, who were also directors of music to the duke, were music lovers.

 

In Denkendorf, the Reformation went by without any disturbances. By the time an official delegation of the Duke headed by Ambrosius Blarer arrived in Denkendorf in June 1535 in order to obtain a declaration of acceptance, some of the canons of Denkendorf had already adopted Luther's doctrine in their external parishes. At first, Provost Ulrich Fehleisen obtained a delay by putting forward that not all the canons were present, but busy elsewhere in their parishes and engaged with bringing in the harvest. Negotiations were suspended in consideration thereof and resumed after the harvest.

Various canons adopted the Protestant doctrine and were employed as preachers; the others had a choice between leaving the monastery with a life annuity and remaining in the monastery for their lifetime. The provost himself did not convert to Protestant faith, but nevetheless remained faithfully devoted to the duke.

According to reports by various chroniclers, it was Provost Ulrich Fehleisen who advised Duke Christoph to convert monasteries into monastery schools. The schools' purpose was to prepare young people for theological studies in Tübingen, guided by their own tutors and under the direction of a prelate. These monastery schools were precursors of the Protestant seminaries of today. Apparently, Denkendorf was the first of these monastery schools and commenced teaching as early as 1553. In 1556, other monastery schools all over the region were officially introduced. 14 monasteries were transformed into monastery schools. However, it soon emerged that this number was too large for the small region. Therefore the first monastery school in Denkendorf, together with other monastery schools, was disbanded again as early as 1584.

The provostship Denkendorf and its parishes and all its worldly goods remained intact, and from 1599 to 1804 the provost of Denkendorf, together with the abbots of Adelberg, Bebenhausen and Maulbronn, was one of four general superintendents or prelates of the Württemberg church. Many of the prelates were also preachers at court in Stuttgart and resided only temporarily in Denkendorf, which had a full-time administrator. Only in 1692, when the French completely destroyed Kloster Hirsau during the course of Louis XIV's pillaging and looting raids in the Rhineland, re-establishing a monastery school in Denkendorf became an issue again.

After years of preparation and construction work, the second monastery school was opened in 1713 and Denkendorf began to flourish once more. Apart from the provost, two tutors and about 22 pupils aged 14 to 16, who previously had been tested for suitability in a regional examination in Stuttgart, took up residence. After two years of teaching at Denkendorf they progressed to one of the so-called higher monastery schools in Bebenhausen or Maulbronn, and from there they moved on to seminary in Tübingen, the Tübinger Stift, and to Tübingen university.

The history of the second monastery school in Denkendorf is closely linked with Johann Albrecht Bengel, one of the most important theologians in Württemberg. Still a young man, Bengel came to Denkendorf as a tutor in 1713 and worked here for 28 years. During this time, he taught approximately 300 theologians from Württemberg. Meeting Bengel left a lasting impression on many of these students. Bengel made his mark on the Württemberg pietism movement not only with his writing, but also through his pupils and friends. His presence was the reason the monastery school in Denkendorf became widely known. A great number of influential people and important theologians of his time came to see him. For instance, August Hermann Franke, a famous theologian and educationalist from Halle, came to Denkendorf on account of him in 1717, and in 1723 Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, the founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine (Herrnhut Brethren), visited. The second monastery school in Denkendorf existed for just under 100 years. Friedrich Hölderlin was one of the pupils who graduated from there during the final years.

In the period after the Reformation the monastery still maintained control over its possessions, which were spread all over the region. A small proportion of the residents of the monastery’s villages Denkendorf, Berkheim and Altdorf, monastery, were still serfs to the monastery, but the majority were liable to feudal dues and socage. In 1806, Frederick I, the first king of Württemberg, declared that all church property was to be secularised. In 1810, the school had to leave Denkendorf. It was moved to Kloster Schöntal.

After having acquired all the property and rights of the monastery, the state did not know what to do with the old buildings. Attempts to set up a mangold factory, an agricultural college and a mustard factory all had to be abandoned. The monastery passed through several hands until it was taken over by factory owner Friedrich Kaufmann from Esslingen who set up a mustard and liqueur factory in it. Whilst many of the old parts had been demolished or modernised in past periods, the Kaufmann family was committed to conservation and renovated wisely. The monastery remained in their possession until 1905, when the factory had to relocate to Ebersbach/Fils as Denkendorf lacked a rail link. Kauffman Klostersenf (Monastery Mustard) was the trade name of one of their products up to our times.

Fritz Alexander Kauffman, Friedrich Kauffman's grandson, wrote about his childhood in Denkendorf in his book 'Leonhard'.

After the company Kauffman had left Denkendorf, the state appropriated the building again. For a few years the monastery housed a preparatory institution for future teachers; from 1921 to 1933 it held the first south German residential adult education centre for girls under the direction of Mrs Dora Weber; the building was used by the NSDAP during the Third Reich; after the war it accommodated refugees.

Around 1948, the Evangelische Landeskirche (the established Protestant church of the region) bought the monastery building and founded the Protestant Seminary for Christian Care Denkendorf, which was used for the training of female lay helpers and catechists. Since 1972, the monastery accommodates the Landeskirche's Further Education Institute for Staff in Parish Work (now named Further Education Institute for Parish and Christian Care). In spring 1997 the pastoral college, which provides continuing education for male and female parsons of the Landeskirche and was formerly located in Freudenstadt, also moved here.

Jewish-Christian dialogue in the form of courses, meeting days and study tours occupies its own important area in work of the Kloster Denkendorf.

Source: Kloster Denkendorf, published by the Fortbildungsstätte Kloster Denkendorf, edited by Parson Dr Reiner Strunk; text by Doris Metzger (undated). 

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Copyright © 2001 Fortbildungsstätte Kloster Denkendorf
Stand: 05. Februar 2007