440:. Nevertheless, even when Bursfelde features less prominently in the records by the end of the twelfth century, by around 1200 it had major land holdings, with fourteen farming estates, although these were widely dispersed, with holdings as far to the south as Erfurt and as far to the west as Osnabrück. But the economic focus remained on the region more immediately surrounding Bursfelde. Management of the farms was in most cases contracted out, but the main estate at Bursfelde was directly managed.
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531:, at least 136 abbeys, scattered through all parts of Germany, belonged to it. The efficacy of the Congregation was severely curtailed by the Reformation, during which many of its member houses were dissolved, but continued in a restricted form until the secularisations of the late 18th and early 19th centuries dissolved the surviving religious houses.
463:, he assigned two of them to the monastery at Clus, to maintain his reformed discipline there, while the other two accompanied him to Bursfelde. As abbot of Clus, he was able to recruit from that community for Bursfelde. Dederoth succeeded beyond expectations in the restoration of Bursfelde and began the reform of Reinhausen Abbey, near
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In 1331, under abbot Henry Lasar, monastic discipline began to relax, the school was neglected and the valuable possessions dissipated. From 1331 to 1424 no records of the abbey were kept. When in 1424 the aged Albert of
Bodenstein became abbot, both church and school had fallen almost into ruins,
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The
Bursfelde Congregation was a highly beneficial reforming influence on the spiritual life of the time in the Benedictine monasteries of Germany during the second half of the fifteenth, and the first half of the sixteenth, century. At the death of Abbot John of Hagen thirty-six monasteries had
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By this time the diminishing impact of the
Benedictine reform movement in general and of its inmpct at Bursfelde Abbey in particular meant that control over Bursfelde was of reduced importance in terms of the political power politics of the great families in the region. After the ending of the
489:, obtained permission in 1445 from the Council of Basle to restore the Divine Office to the original form of the old Benedictine breviary and to introduce liturgical and disciplinary uniformity in the monasteries that followed the reform of Bursfelde. On 11 March 1446 the
230:. Although one motive for the abbey's foundation was clearly that the souls of the faithful departed kinsfolk of the founder might be properly prayed for, the founder's dynastic ambitions and the pressures of the church reform movement also played their part.
324:. There was to be no political autonomy, given the continuing legal and military dependence channeled through the bailiffs. The granting of market and currency rights to the monastery nevertheless appears to have been part of
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granted
Bursfelde numerous privileges and immunities. Following the Benedictine tradition, Almeric, the first abbot, opened a school, which soon became famous. Under the next four abbots its fame continued to increase.
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The surviving abbey buildings are still used for theological training and conferences. The legal basis for the meeting house is the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover. The spiritual center is incorporated into the
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it was established that abbots should be freely elected. The same level of trust did not extend to the abbey's more temporal interests however: bailiffs were to be appointed in perpetuity by the
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and the monastery itself was in a dilapidated condition, housing a single old monk. Albert was too old to undertake the gigantic task of restoring
Bursfelde and resigned the abbacy in 1430.
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who had died without male issue. Henry the Lion confirmed the rights of the Abbey, following the presentation of a falsified foundation record. The absence of male heirs in the
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had gained in kudos with an ascetic lifestyle which left the
Benedictines appearing relatively worldly. Later on rivalries were complicated by the increased prominence of the
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218:, was himself buried in the abbey church. The late eleventh century was a period of monastic and ecclesiastical reform, and from the outset Bursfelde was influenced by the
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366:, which was subordinated to the Abbot of Bursfelde. Links between the two foundations would remain close. A further significant development came in 1135 when
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convent was accommodated here until well into the 17th century, when the estates were leased out to tenants. A few
Catholic monks returned for a time during the
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to look after reassigned or disused ecclesiastical buildings and other heritage properties in the region. The legal owner of the
Bursfelde Monastery Complex (
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547:, and Bursfelde ceased to be a Catholic monastery. The possessions of the abbey were confiscated, and the abbot was replaced by a Lutheran. A
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and his wife
Gertrude so that the members of noble families from the area might be buried in a place with monks permanently in attendance.
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686:: Die Geschichte des Klosters Bursfelde. In: Lothar Perlitt (producer-editor): Kloster Bursfelde. 6th edition, Göttingen 1996, pp. 9-23
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approved the Bursfelde Union or Congregation, which then consisted of six abbeys: Bursfelde itself, Clus, Reinhausen,
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214:: a close association between the two foundations would endure. In 1102 the founder, who had been killed by invading
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The title of (Protestant) abbot has been bestowed since 1828 on the Senior Fellow of the Theological Faculty at the
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world. One of the first Benedictine reformers was John Dederoth of Northeim. After carrying out notable reforms at
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During the 15th century a strong current of monastic and ecclesiastical reform made itself felt throughout the
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in 1433 to undertake the reform of Bursfelde. Obtaining four exemplary religious from the monastery of
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It would be wrong to overstate the economic importance of the foundation. The emphasis in the
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was less on craftwork or agriculture, and more on scientific research and teaching. In 1101
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had inherited from Albert von Gieselwerder. The site lay at the confluence of the Rivers
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the Benedictine reform movement had rapidly lost impetus. During the same period the
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strategy for building up the territorial power of the Northeim family in the area.
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meant that the County of Northeim, including Bursfelde Abbey, now passed to the
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In 1579, Andrew Lüderitz, the last abbot of Bursfelde, was driven out by the
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in 1133) arranged for the construction of the abbey's great "East Choir" (
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Geistliches Zentrum Kloster Bursfelde, Hannoversch Münden. Archived from
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of the Church of Hanover. It is owned by the Hanover Chamber monaste.
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455:, where he had been abbot since 1430, Dederoth was persuaded by Duke
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Former abbey of Saint Benedict in Bursfelde in Lower Saxony, Germany
741: This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 18 October 2022
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Ott, Michael. "The Abbey of Bursfeld." The Catholic Encyclopedia
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already joined the Bursfelde Congregation, and just before the
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participated in the foundation. The first monks came from
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The abbey complex was created on the Miminde estate, which
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only the church, new towers were built in the 19th century
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Die Bibliothek des Klosters Bursfelde im Spätmittelalter
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Christian monasteries established in the 11th century
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389:In 1144 Bursfelde Abbey passed to the control of
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853:1579 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire
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169:Lower Saxony Ministry for Arts and the Sciences
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843:1090s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
587:"Das Geistliche Zentrum Kloster Bursfelde..."
725:, 2nd expanded edn. Hildesheim: August Lax.
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635:"Geistliches Zentrum Kloster Bursfelde"
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184:Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover
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615:. Evangelische Medienarbeit, Hannover
757:. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
656:Perlitt, Lothar, "Bursfelde Abbey",
637:. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
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833:Benedictine monasteries in Germany
747:Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "
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613:"Geschichte der Klosterkirche"
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535:Reformation and dissolution
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732:. University Göttingen.
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430:Investiture Controversy
485:Dederoth's successor,
479:Bursfelde Congregation
471:Bursfelde Congregation
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754:Catholic Encyclopedia
749:The Abbey of Bursfeld
684:Hans-Walter Krumwiede
395:Duke of Saxony (1139)
353:Abbey of Saint-Gilles
349:Gertrude of Brunswick
333:Benedictine monastery
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37:Monastery information
809:51.54167°N 9.62472°E
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519:. On 6 March 1458,
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453:Clus Abbey
384:"Ost-Chor"
370:daughter,
85:Founder(s)
800:9°37′29″E
517:Magdeburg
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220:new ideas
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541:Lutheran
513:Huysburg
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216:Frisians
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190:History
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110:Germany
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511:, and
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138:German
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303:river
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43:Order
778:ISBN
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