Remse Monastery
| Place: | Remse (Remse, Zwickau) |
|---|---|
| Type: | Monastery complex |
| Dating: | High Middle Ages | Late Middle Ages | 1150 - 1533 AD. |
Description
The foundation of the Benedictine nunnery in Remse was probably triggered by Emperor Konrad III. (1127-1152) made a generous donation of 100 royal hooves of land on both sides of the Zwickauer Mulde to the mother monastery of Bürgel. The Bürgel monastery in Thuringia had been founded just ten years earlier by Margrave Heinrich and his wife Bertha von Groitzsch. The rich imperial donation provided the economic basis for the foundation of the daughter monastery of Remse. It can be proven to have actually existed from 1165 at the earliest. The associated village of Remse was probably founded a short time later. Its convenient location on the river and on a branch of the Bohemian Trail, which led from Altenburg via Grünhain to Vejprty (Weipert) in the Czech Republic, is probably no coincidence. However, the monastery was dissolved as early as 1533 as a result of the Reformation.
Stefanie Bilz/Annemarie ReckThe "red stick"
Only one building of the medieval monastery remains today, the so-called Red Floor. Its name is derived from the color of the stone used in its construction. The Roter Stock probably dates back to the remains of the Romanesque westwork of the three-aisled monastery church. The three-storey, cuboid building, which is often referred to as a transverse tower, has massive side gables and is horizontally structured by belt cornices. This structure suggests that the Red Floor was built or at least rebuilt in the course of the monastery renovation in 1280. The interior has vaulted ceilings on all floors. However, the second floor with its groined vault, which rests on Romanesque transoms, is particularly noteworthy.
Stefanie Bilz/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Heynowski, Foto ©LfA 2012.
The aftermath of the monastery
After the dissolution of the monastery, the fief fell to the Lords of Schönburg by purchase in 1543, who turned the monastery into a manor. Subsequent renovations gave the monastery a castle-like appearance. The Roter Stock did not take on the form that still characterizes the townscape today until the 1840s, when it was converted into a residential building and another residential building was added. During the GDR era, the former monastery was used for agricultural purposes by the local LPG. The red floor was renovated in 1993. Today it stands directly opposite the single-nave Romanesque church in the center of Remse.
Stefanie Bilz/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Spehr, Foto ©LfA 1992.
Literature
Stefanie Bilz, Kloster Remse. In: Regina Smolnik/Ronny Zienert (Hrsg.), Höhenflüge. Luftbilder und Archäologie in Sachsen (Dresden 2024) 184–185.
Richard Steche, Beschreibende Darstellung der älteren Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Königreichs Sachsen. Amtshauptmannschaft Glauchau (Dresden 1890).
Note on monument protection
Archaeological monuments are protected by the Saxon Monument Protection Act. A permit under monument law is required for ground interventions or construction measures.
Permalink
https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/remse-monastery/
Citation
Stefanie Bilz/Annemarie Reck, Remse Monastery. In: Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen, Website archaeo | SN (31.05.2024). https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/remse-monastery/ (Stand: 23.01.2025)
