St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen


St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen or Füssen Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in the 9th century, and dissolved during the post-Napoleonic secularisation of Bavaria.

History

The Benedictine abbey of Saint Mang was founded in the first half of the 9th century as a proprietary monastery of the Prince-Bishops of Augsburg. The reason for its foundation goes back to the hermit Magnus of Füssen and his Benedictine brother Theodor, both from the Abbey of Saint Gall, who built a cell and an oratory here, where he died on 6 September, although there is no record of which year.
The saint's body, amid miracles, was discovered uncorrupted, a proof of his sanctity, and the veneration of St. Mang was the spiritual basis of the monastery.
The foundation was not however solely spiritually motivated; there were practical political reasons underlying it as well. The monastery's key position not only on the important medieval road from Augsburg across the Alps to Upper Italy but also in the Füssen Gap gave it an immense strategic value, which made it of political concern both to the Bishops of Augsburg and to the Holy Roman Emperors.
The history of the abbey in the Middle Ages is principally marked by the efforts of the religious community to maintain a life true to the Rule of Saint Benedict amidst the various pressures caused by external social developments. Over time therefore the monks repeatedly embraced various reforms and reforming movements intended to bring about a return to the essentials of the Benedictine life. These reforms mostly resulted in spiritual and economic growth and an increase in the headcount, which in turn brought more building and commissions of artwork.
The energy of the Counter-Reformation found lasting expression in the construction of an enormous Baroque abbey complex between 1696 and 1726, commissioned by Abbot Gerhard Oberleitner, which still today, along with the High Castle, characterises the town of Füssen.
The architect Johann Jakob Herkomer succeeded in turning the irregular medieval abbey premises into a symmetrically organised complex of buildings. The transformation of the medieval basilica into a Baroque church based on Venetian models was intended to be an architectural symbol of the veneration of Saint Magnus. The entire church represents an enormous reliquary. For the first time in South German Baroque construction the legend of the local saint inspires the suite of frescoes throughout the entire church. The community at the time also set out to make the new church the envy of connoisseurs for the quality of its artworks. Among the artists who contributed various forms of decoration for the building were Anton Sturm, Franz Georg Hermann, Jakob Hiebeler and Paul Zeiller, whose only extant oil paintings are in the Chapter Hall.
Although the abbey was never able to obtain the coveted Reichsunmittelbarkeit, it had a decisive influence as a centre of lordship and economy, cultural and faith life, on Füssen and the whole region.

Dissolution

On 11 December 1802, during the secularisation that followed the Napoleonic Wars and the Peace of Lunéville, the princes of Oettingen-Wallerstein were awarded possession of St. Mang. On 15 January 1803 Princess Wilhelmine ordered Abbot Aemilian Hafner to dissolve the abbey and vacate the premises by 1 March of that year.
The contents of the library were shipped off to the new owners down the Lech on rafts. Most of the items are now in the library of the University of Augsburg, except for a small collection of especially valuable manuscripts, which are in the Augsburg Diocesan Archives.

Later history

In 1837 the former abbey church was transferred as a gift to the parish of Füssen. In 1839 the Royal Bavarian chamberlain, Christoph Friedrich von Ponickau, bought the remaining lordship of St. Mang. In 1909 the town of Füssen acquired the Ponickau estate, including the former abbey buildings.
The north wing was used as the town hall. In the south wing the Füssen Town Museum is now located, with displays on the history of the abbey and of the town, particularly of the traditional manufacture of lutes and violins in Füssen. It is also possible to view the Baroque reception rooms of the abbey in the museum.

List of the abbots of St. Mang's Abbey, Füssen

Until 919 there is no documentary evidence of the abbots of this abbey. Abbey tradition names Saint
Magnus as the founding abbot, and his successor as Blessed Conrad.
AbbotPeriod of authorityDate of death
1. Saint Magnus 6 September
2. Konrad I
3. Wolpoto9th century ?26 April
4. Bernold9th century ?
5. Leutolph9th century ?
6. Gisilooccurs 919
7. Ortolf 5 April
8. Heinrich I.
9. Gotebold
10. Berthold 23 August
11. Adalbert
12. Wilhelmc. 1030–1040
13. Eberhardc. 1060–106111 May 1091
14. Swidker
15. Adalhalm108625 August 1094
16. Alberich 23 January
17. Konrad IIoccurs 1160–c.1175
18. Heinrich IIoccurs 1178–119119 February
19. Konrad IIIoccurs 1206, 121814 July, c. 1218
20. Dieto occurs 1219, 1222March 1225
21. Ruggeroccurs 1227
22. Rudolf von Thalhofenoccurs 1235, 125122 May
23. Albertoccurs 125513 March 1256
24. Hermann Ioccurs 1257, 1262
25. Hilteboldoccurs 1263, 128319 October 1284
26. Konrad IVoccurs 1284, 1285
27. Hermann IIoccurs 1287, 1295, 1311
28. Goswinoccurs 1313, 13178 July, c. 1318
29. Heinrich IIIoccurs 1319, 1335December, c. 1336
30. Ulrich Denklingeroccurs 1336, 133918 January 1347
31. Johannes I Hochschlitzc. 134711 August
32. Luiprandoccurs 1374
33. Friedrichoccurs 139028 April
34. Johannes II Laugingeroccurs 1392, 139621 March 1403
35. Georg I Sandauer1397–141015 February 1410
36. Yban von Rotenstein1410–142619 May 1439
37. Johannes III Schmerlaib1426–143116 May 1431
38. Konrad V Klammer1431–143313 March 1433
39. Johannes IV Fischeroccurs 1436; res. 145830 March 1460
40. Johannes V Hess1458–14801481
41. Benedikt I Furtenbach1480–1524March 1531
42. Joh. Baptist VI Benzinger1524–15338 April 1537
43. Gregor Gerhoch1537–15544 October 1554
44. Sympert Lechler1554–155621 November 1560
45. Georg II Albrecht1556–15602 February 1560
46. Johannes VII Kessler1560–15678 June 1567
47. Hieronymus Alber1567–157317 August 1573
48. Matthias Schober1579–160415 August 1604
49. Heinrich IV Amman1604–161130 July 1615
50. Martin Stempfle1614–166126 February 1665
51. Benedikt II Bauer1661–169626 July 1696
52. Gerhard I Oberleitner1696–171420 March 1714
53. Dominikus Dierling1714–17384 September 1738
54. Benedikt III Pautner1738–174518 January 1745
55. Leopold Freiherr von Rost1745–17507 November 1750
56. Gallus Zeiler1750–17557 January 1755
57. Placidus Zerle1755–176324 June 1770
58. Gerhard II Ott1763–17781 March 1778
59. Aemilian Hafner1778–180319 May 1823