The Imperial Abbey of Kaisersheim (German:Reichsstift Kaisersheim or Kloster Kaisersheim), was a Cistercian monastery in Kaisersheim (now Kaisheim), Bavaria, Germany.
As one of the 40-odd self-ruling imperial abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire, Kaisersheim was a virtually independent state. Its abbot had seat and voice at the Imperial Diet where he sat on the Bench of the Prelates of Swabia. At the time of its secularisation in 1802, the Abbey covered 136 square kilometers and has 9,500-10,000 subjects.
History The monastery was founded by Henry II, Count of Lechsgemünd (d. 1142) and his wife Liutgard, and was a daughter house of Lucelle Abbey in Alsace. Count Henry's initial gift of the land was made in 1133; the foundation charter was dated 21 September 1135. The first church was dedicated in 1183 by the Bishop of Augsburg, but was damaged in a fire in 1286, and re-built in its entirety between 1352 and 1387, when the new building was dedicated.
The foundation charter guaranteed the new monastery immunity and independence from secular powers, but on the extinction of the Counts of Lechsgemünd in 1327, their territories passed to the Wittelsbach Counts of Graisbach, who were unwilling to honour the original terms. Although in 1346 the abbey succeeded in obtaining from the Emperor Charles IV a confirmation of the rights included in the charter, and was declared an Imperial abbey (), the Wittelsbachs were not inclined to honour it.
In 1505, the territory of Pfalz-Neuburg was created, which inherited the rights of the County of Graisbach, including territorial rights over Kaisheim. During the Reformation, the conversion of Otto Henry, Duke of Neuburg and Elector Palatine, to Protestantism, led to fears the abbey would be dissolved, although this danger soon passed.
Finally, in 1656 the then abbot George IV Müller reached agreement with Duke Philip of Pfalz-Neuburg that the abbey's Imperial immediacy () would be respected.Also at this time the abbey took over responsibility for the noblewomen's collegiate foundation (Damenstift) at Pielenhofen Abbey, previously administered by the state, as a subpriory. This carried with it the obligation however to provide troops to the imperial army when required, and from this date onwards the abbey had to accommodate a small standing force of soldiers of some 80 men.
The buildings underwent a major re-building in the 1720s in the Baroque style.
In 1802, the abbey was dissolved in the secularisation of Bavaria, and its assets taken by the Bavarian state. The premises were at first used for military purposes, later as accommodation for the displaced Bavarian Franciscans. From 1816, the buildings have been used as a prison, and now house the Justizvollzugsanstalt Kaisheim.
The Kaiser's Hall and the library are of particular architectural interest. In the east wing, known as the Kaiser's wing, the Bayerisches Strafvollzugsmuseum () has displayed the permanent exhibition Behind Bars since 1989.
Abbots of Kaisersheim
Udalrich 1133-1155 Konrad I 1155-1165 Diethelm 1165-1174 Albert 1174-1194 Ebbo 1194-1210 Konrad II 1210-1228 Heinrich I 1228-1239 Richard 1239-1251 Wolvich 1251-1262 Heinrich II 1262-1266 Trutwin 1266-1287 Heinrich III 1287-1302 Johann I Chonold 1302-1320 Ulrich I Zoller 1320-1339 Ulrich II Nubling 1339-1360 Johann II Zauer 1360-1379 Johann III Molitor 1379-1400 Johann IV Scherb 1400-1422 Kraft von Hochstadt 1422-1427 Leonhard Weinmayer 1427-1440 Nikolaus Kolb 1440-1458 Georg I 1458-1479 Johann V Vister 1479-1490 Georg II Kastner 1490-1509 Konrad III Reutter 1509-1540 Johann VI Zauer 1540-1575 Ulrich III 1575-1586 Georg III 1586-1589 Domenicus 1589-1594 Sebastian 1594-1608 Johann VII 1608-1626 Jakob 1626-1637 Georg IV 1637-1667 Benedikt 1667-1674 Hieronymus 1675-1681 Elias 1681-1696 Judas Thaddäus 1696-1698 Roger von Röltz 1698-1739 Cölestin I Meermols 1739-1771 Cölestin II Angelsbrucker 1771-1783 Franz Xaver Müller 1783-1803
Notes and references
External links
Kaisheim town website: history of Kaisheim Abbey Klöster in Bayern Bayerisches Strafvollzugsmuseum Kaisheim
fr:Abbaye de Heggbach