Abbey of Hersfeld

Imperial Abbey of Hersfeld
Reichsabtei Hersfeld
Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire
775–1606 (de facto) 775–1648 (de jure)
Coat of arms
Hersfeld Abbey: church ruins
Capital		Hersfeld Abbey
Government		Theocracy
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Founded by Saint Boniface	736–42
•	Granted Imperial immediacy     by Charlemagne	775
•	City of Hersfeld placed     itself under Hessian protection	1371
•	Forced union with Fulda	1513–15
•	Abbot Krato swore allegiance     to Lutheran Hesse	1525
•	Otto, Prince of Hesse, elected     lay administrator	1606
•	Secularised to Hesse-Kassel     by Peace of Westphalia	1648
Preceded by Succeeded by Fulda monastery Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
Today part of		Germany

Hersfeld Abbey was an important Benedictine imperial abbey in the town of Bad Hersfeld in Hesse (formerly in Hesse-Nassau), Germany, at the confluence of the rivers Geisa, Haune and Fulda.

Hersfeld was founded by Saint Sturm, a disciple of Saint Boniface, in 736–742. Because its location rendered it vulnerable to attacks from the Saxons, however, he transferred it to Fulda. Some years later, in or about 769 after the defeat of the Saxons by the Franks, Lullus, archbishop of Mainz, re-founded the monastery at Hersfeld.

Charlemagne (who had recently succeeded to the Frankish royal crown) and other benefactors provided endowments, and in 775 gave it the status of a Reichsabtei "imperial abbey" (i.e., territorially independent prince-abbacy within the Empire).

Pope Stephen III granted it exemption from episcopal jurisdiction. It soon possessed 1050 hides of land and a community of 150 monks.

Lullus was buried in the church at his death in 786. The abbey buildings were extended between 831 and 850, and in 852 Lullus' grave was moved to the new basilica. During this ceremony Lullus' canonisation was formally announced by Rabanus Maurus. (The "Lullusfest", or "Feast of Saint Lullus", has been celebrated in Hersfeld since then, on 16 October and is the longest-established local festival in the German-speaking world).

The abbey had already become a place of pilgrimage after 780, because of the relics of Saint Wigbert which were brought here at that time, and the miracles that they were said to cause. A valuable library was collected, the annals of the monastery were regularly kept, and it became well known as a seat of piety and learning. Towards the close of the 10th century, Hersfeld suffered from the general decline of the age, and monastic discipline became relaxed. Some years later, however, the observance was reformed by Saint Gotthard (afterwards Bishop of Hildesheim), and members of the community were sent out to other houses of the order to carry out in them the work of religious revival.