Frauenkappelen

Frauenkappelen
Frauenkappelen
Location of Frauenkappelen
Coordinates: 46°57′N 7°20′E / 46.950°N 7.333°E / 46.950; 7.333Coordinates: 46°57′N 7°20′E / 46.950°N 7.333°E / 46.950; 7.333
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Bern-Mittelland
Government
• Mayor	Markus Kämpfer
Area
• Total	9.27 km2 (3.58 sq mi)
Elevation	601 m (1,972 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	1,207
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Postal code	3202
SFOS number	0663
Surrounded by	Bern, Mühleberg, Wohlen bei Bern
Website	www.frauenkappelen.ch SFSO statistics

Frauenkappelen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

Frauenkappelen is first mentioned in 1158 as Capela. In 1574 the town became a parish.

The oldest traces of a settlement in the area are several Hallstatt era grave mounds in the Spilwald forest. A Roman era estate has also been found in the woods. It appears that the area around the modern municipality was abandoned until the Early Middle Ages. By 1241 the Alt-Bubenberg Castle was built on the hills above the Aare river. Between 1228 and 1240, the Augustinian Sancta Maria de Cappellis Abbey was built in Foresto. Over the following centuries Alt-Bubenberg Castle lost its importance and was abandoned in the 14th century. Today only the ruins of the walls are still visible.

The Abbey, on the other hand, grew with donations from local nobles. By the 14th century it owned land throughout the Sense valley, especially around the town of Rüti bei Büren. The Abbey also owned vineyards along Lake Biel. The Abbey had its own seal in 1251. It had about ten nuns under an Abbess with a provost supplied from another Abbey. Initially the Abbey was under the Augustinian Köniz Abbey, until was absorbed by the Teutonic Knights in 1226 or 1235. After that the provost was appointed by a local committee or by the Bishop of Lausanne. In 1486 the newly created college of canons at the Cathedral of Bern acquired the entire Abbey and its lands. The remaining six nuns were allowed to remain at the Abbey for the rest of their lives. The Abbey church was initially part of the parish of Mühleberg. It remained part of the parish after the Canton of Bern converted to the new faith during the Protestant Reformation. When it was rebuilt in 1574, it became the parish church for the new Frauenkappelen parish. The Abbey buildings were used as a rectory until they were demolished in 1640.