|
Disibodenberg Cloister
In the seventh century, an apostle from Ireland named Disibod travelled through
France to Germany. As the story goes, he received a prophesy that he would
build a hut there. He would plant his walking stick into the ground there
and it would grow and flourish. He and his friends moved from place to place
preaching. Disibod became older and older, and there was no sign of the prophesy
being fulfilled. One day, as he arrived at the place where the Nahe and the
Glan come together, the old man knelt on the grass and prayed. His walking
stick, which was stuck into the ground near him, immediately started sprouting
green. A white deer came out of the woods and grazed where a spring of clear
water rippled through the grass. Disibod stood up and called out: "This is
the holy place, let us build our huts here!" From this small settlement, the
Disibodenberg monastery was later built and this played a great role in the
development of the Nahe valley over the following centuries.
Apart from this legend, there is very little source material covering the
history of the Disibodenberg. This much is known, however, around the year
675, the Irish monk Disibod settled in the former Celtic and Roman cult site
of Disibodenberg, along with his three companions Gisbald, Clemens and Sallust.
The archbishop Willigis of Mainz, (975-1011), awarded important lands to the
abbey and promoted expansion and building of the Augustinian monastery there.
In the year 1098 the Benedictines took it over. Under the abbot Kuno, it was
extensively expanded. The most important part of this being the building of
a basilica with three naves and a cloister. It was completed in 1143. There
has been a women's hermitage since the year 1112, from where the abbess
Hildegard von Bingen
emerged. The monastery was taken over in 1259 by the Cistercian order and
it prospered. During this era, it came into the ownership of the parish of
Bad Sobernheim.
The monastery was plundered and partially destroyed in 1504 during the Pfälzisch-Zweibrücken
war. It was finally abandoned in 1560. Starting at around 1790, it served
as a source of stone for building in the nearby villages. Archaeological excavations
and conservation work began in 1985. The "Scivias" foundation was established
in 1989 for its upkeep. The name "Scivias" (Latin: "know the right track")
has been chosen in recognition of Hildegard von Bingen's most famous book
"Visions" that is still fascinating today.
|
|
Literature
Günther Stanzl: Die Klosterruine Disibodenberg. Forschungsberichte zur
Denkmalpflege Rheinland-Pfalz, Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1992
View from the vantage point "Hindenburgblick" above Odernheim to the
Disibodenberg situated at the junction of the Glan river and the Nahe.
|
|