St. Burchard's Abbey, Würzburg

St. Burchard's Abbey, Würzburg, Germany, was a Benedictine monastery, initially known as St. Andrew's Abbey.

History

St. Andrew's was founded by Burchard of Würzburg shortly after 748, and soon became known for its monastic school. After a period of decline in the tenth century it was reformed in 988 by Hugo von Rothenburg, Bishop of Würzburg. He rebuilt the church and the monastery and placed Arnold, a monk of Hirsau Abbey, as abbot over it. On 14 October 984, this bishop had transferred there the body of St. Burchard, and from that time the monastery became known as St. Burchard's Abbey.

Church and monastery having been destroyed by fire about 1030, Abbot Wilemuth rebuilt both (1033–42), and in 1042 Bishop Bruno of Würzburg dedicated the new church in presence of Emperor Henry III and six bishops.

Yielding to the request of the monks, Pope Pius II, in a Papal bull dated 4 February 1464, changed the abbey church into a collegiate church, and permitted the former monks to remain as canons.

References

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ott, Michael (1913). "Würzburg Abbeys". In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton. The entry cites:
  • LINK, Klosterbuch der Diocese Würzburg, I (Würzburg, 1873), 105-8.
  • WIELAND, Kloster und Ritterstift zu St. Burkard in Archiv des hist. Vereins fur Unterfranken, XV, fasc. 1-2.
  • LINK, Klosterbuch, I (Würzburg, 1873), 395-402;
  • LINDNER, Schriftsteller, O.S.B., in Bayern, 1750-1880, II (Ratisbon, 1880), 196-202.
  • WIELAND, Dad Schottenkloster zu St. Jakob in Würzburg in Archiv des hist. Vereins fur Unterfranken, XVI, 21-182; LINK, Klosterbuch, I, 402-9.