| Salem Abbey | |||||||||||||
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German:Kloster Salem | |||||||||||||
 North-eastern aspect of Salem Abbey | |||||||||||||
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| www.salem.de | |||||||||||||
Salem Abbey (German:Kloster Salem) was a very prominentCistercian monastery atSalem in thedistrict of Bodensee, about ten miles fromKonstanz inBaden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings are now owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg and are open for tours as theSalem Monastery and Palace.
Imperial Abbey of Salem Reichsabtei Salem | |||||||||
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| 1155–1803 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Salem Abbey, c. 1708 | |||||||||
| Status | Imperial Abbey | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Abbey founded | 1137 | ||||||||
• Gainedimmediacy | 1155 | ||||||||
• Mediatized toBaden | 1803 | ||||||||
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In 1134, a knight named Guntram von Adelsreute,[1][2] inspired by a sermon held byBernard of Clairvaux at theKonstanz Minster, donated an estate in theLinzgau region to Bernard'smonastic order, theCistercians.[2] That estate, called the Salmannsweiler,[2][3] had an area of about 200 hectares (490 acres)[4] and was too small to support a monastery. Regardless,[1] in 1137 a party of 12 monks were sent fromLucelle Abbey, inAlsace.[3] These monks combined existing farms with further donations from Guntram in 1138 that gave the new monastery a stable economic base.[1] Its abbot, Frowin, a friend of Bernard, named the monastery Salem, likely as an allusion toJerusalem.[2]
The foundation of the abbey was confirmed by Linzgau nobility led by theCount of Heiligenberg [de] in 1138, and again in 1140 byFrederick II, Duke of Swabia, andPope Innocent II and once more in 1142 byConrad III,King of Germany. Finally, in 1155,Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, granted Salemimperial immediacy, making it animperial abbey, and took the abbey under his personal patronage. Salem Abbey profited greatly from the patronage of Frederick's house, theHohenstaufen, and its territory rapidly expanded through donations and purchases. This rapid growth brought Salem into contention with theBishop of Constance and with local nobility and peasantry. Under AbbotEberhard von Rohrdorf [de], however, the monastery continued to expand and secured the protection of theArchbishop of Salzburg in 1201.[1] The Archbishop of Salzburg also gave a saltwork atHallein to Salem for it to export salt acrossLake Constance and further enrich the abbey.[1][2]
With the beginning of theGreat Interregnum in the mid-13th century and the loss of Hohenstaufen protection, Salem began to decline as its possessions were attacked by local rivals and was driven into debt. Salem's situation improved with the election ofRudolf I as King of Germany and the creation of theLandvogtei Schwaben [de] at the end of the century, which aligned Salem with theHouse of Habsburg. That alignment brought more attacks on Salem in 1314, led by theCounts of Werdenberg to Heiligenberg, that lasted until EmperorCharles IV granted Salem further political exemptions.[1]
By 1300, 300choir monks andlay brothers inhabited Salem.[2]
From 1615 to 1620, Abbot Thomas I demolished the medieval monastery buildings to construct a new complex.[4] In 1697, every building of the monastery complex except its church was destroyed by fire.[5]
The abbey saw renewed prosperity during the 18th century, however, and it was able to rebuild.[4]
In 1802, as part of the process ofGerman mediatization, Salem Abbey was ceded to theMargraviate of Baden byNapoleon to compensate Baden for territories on theLeft Bank of the Rhine that had been annexed into France.[4]
In 1920,Prince Maximilian of Baden and the educatorKurt Hahn established theSchule Schloss Salem on the grounds of the abbey.[4]
TheHouse of Baden sold most of the abbey's grounds to the State of Baden-Württemberg in 2009.[6]
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Awall was built to enclose the monastery complex around the year 1300. The northern edge of the extant monastery is made up by service buildings that house a stable, mill, bakery, blacksmithy, prison, and also include a wine cellar and atithe barn.[7]
The ceilings of the rebuilt cloister are adorned with stucco and frescoes depicting the life of Bernard of Clairvaux.[5]
Construction of theSalem Minster building (the church of the abbey complex) began in 1299. It was not finished until 1414, when the Archbishop of Salzburg consecrated it.
Before the abbey was secularized, the Prälatur was the residence of Salem's abbots. Afterwards, it was a residence of the House of Baden.[5]
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