Schottenklöster

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(Scotch Monasteries).

A name applied to the monastic foundations ofIrish and Scotch missionaries on theEuropean continent, particularly to the ScotchBenedictinemonasteries inGermany, which in the beginning of the thirteenth century were combined into one congregation whose abbot-general was theAbbot of themonastery of St. James atRatisbon. The first Schottenklöster of which we have anyknowledge was Säckingen inBaden, founded by theIrish missionary,St. Fridolin, towards the end of the fifth century. The same missionary is said to have founded a Schottenklöster atConstance. A century later St. Columbanus arrived on the continent with twelve companions and founded Annegray, Luxeuil, and Fontaines inFrance, Bobbio inItaly. During the seventh century the disciples of Columbanus and otherIrish and Scotch missionaries founded a long list ofmonasteries in what is nowFrance,Germany,Belgium, andSwitzerland. The best known are: St. Gall inSwitzerland, Disibodenberg in the Rhine Palatinate, St. Paul's atBesançon, Lure and Cusance in the Diocese ofBesançon, Beze in theDiocese of Langres, Remiremont and Moyenmoutier in the Diocese of Toul, Fosses in the Diocese ofLiège, Mont-St-Michel at Peronne, Ebersmunster in Lower Alsace, St. Martin at Cologne. The rule of St. Columbanus, which was originally followed in most of thesemonasteries, was soon superseded by that of St. Benedict. LaterIrish missionaries founded Honau in Baden (about 721), Murbach in Upper Alsace (about 727), Altomunster in UpperBavaria (about 749), while otherIrish and Scotchmonks restored St-Michel in Thiérache (940), Walsort near Namur (945), and, atCologne, the Monasteries of St. Clement (about 953), St. Martin (about 980), St. Symphorian (about 990), and St. Pantaléon (1042). Towards the end of the eleventh and in the twelfth century, a number of Schottenklöster, intended for Scotch andIrishmonks exclusively, sprang up inGermany. About 1072, three Scotchmonks, Marian, John, and Candidus, took up their abode at the little Church of Weih-St-Peter atRatisbon. Their number soon increased and a largermonastery was built for them (about 1090) by Burgrave Otto ofRatisbon and his brother Henry. This became the famous Scotch Monastery of St. Jacob atRatisbon, the mother-house of a series of other Schottenklöster. It founded the Abbeys of St. Jacob atWürzburg (about 1134), St. Aegidius atNuremberg (1140), St. Jacob atConstance (1142), Our Blessed Lady atVienna (1158), St. Nicolas at Memmingen (1168), Holy Cross atEichstätt (1194), and the Priory of Kelheim (1231). These, together with the Abbey of St. Jacob at Erfurt (1036), and the Priory of Weih-St-Peter atRatisbon formed the famous congregation of the German Schottenklöster which was erected byInnocent III in 1215, with theAbbot of St. Jacob atRatisbon as abbot-general. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries most of thesemonasteries were on the decline, partly for want ofScotch orIrishmonks, partly on account of great laxity of discipline and financial difficulties. In consequence, theabbeys ofNuremberg andVienna were withdrawn from the Scotch congregation and repeopled by Germanmonks in 1418. The Abbey of St. JacobWürzburg was left without anymonks after the death of Abbot Philip in 1497. It was then repeopled by Germanmonks and in 1506 joined the congregation of Bursfeld. In 1595, however, it was restored to the Scotch congregation and continued to be occupied by Scotchmonks until its suppression in 1803. The abbey ofConstance began to decline in the first half of the fifteenth century and was suppressed in 1530. That of Memmingen also disappeared during the early period of theProtestant Reformation. The Abbey of Holy Cross atEichstätt seems to have ceased early in the fourteenth century. In consequence of theProtestant Reformation inScotland many ScotchBenedictines left their country and took refuge in the Schottenklöster ofGermany during the sixteenth century. The Scotchmonasteries inRatisbon, Erfurt, andWürzburg again began to flourish temporarily, but all endeavors to regain themonasteries ofNuremberg,Vienna, andConstance formonks of Scotch nationality were useless. In 1692 Abbot Placidus Flemming ofRatisbon reorganized the Scotch congregation which now comprised themonasteries ofRatisbon, Erfurt, andWürzburg, the only remaining Schottenklöster inGermany. He also erected aseminary in connection with themonastery atRatisbon. But the forced secularization ofmonasteries in 1803 put an end to the Scotchabbeys of Erfurt andWürzburg, leaving St. Jacob's atRatisbon as the only surviving Schottenklöster inGermany. Though since 1827 thismonastery was again permitted to acceptnovices, the number of itsmonks dwindled down to two capitulars in 1862. There being no hope of any increase,Pius IX suppressed this last Schottenklöster in his brief of 2 September, 1862. Its revenues were distributed between thediocesanseminary ofRatisbon and the Scotch College atRome.

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