Salem Abbey
| Imperial Abbey of Salem | ||||||||||
| Reichskloster Salem | ||||||||||
| Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire | ||||||||||
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| Capital | Salem | |||||||||
| Government | Theocracy | |||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | |||||||||
| • | Abbey founded | 1136 | ||||||||
| • | Gained Reichsfreiheit | the 12th century | ||||||||
| • | Secularised to Baden | 1803 | ||||||||
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Coat of arms
Salem Abbey (Kloster or Reichskloster Salem), also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings are now owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg and are open for tours as the Salem Monastery and Palace.
The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute (d. 1138) as a daughter house of Lützel Abbey in Alsace, in the foundation of which Gunthram had also been involved. Lützel was a daughter house of Bellevaux Abbey, in its turn the first daughter house of Morimond. Blessed Frowin of Bellevaux, formerly the travelling companion and interpreter of Bernard of Clairvaux, became the first abbot of Salem. He had been professed at Bellevaux, and was of the colony sent to found Lützel, and this has caused some misunderstandings in the past to the effect that Salem was founded from Bellevaux rather than from Lützel.
The abbey soon became very prosperous. Extensive and magnificent buildings, erected in three squares, and a splendid church were constructed between 1182 and 1311. Salem was noted as the richest and most beautiful monastery in Germany, being particularly renowned for its hospitality. Amongst its greatest benefactors and patrons were Conrad of Swabia and Frederick Barbarossa. The former placed the abbey under the special protection of himself and his successors, whence the title of "Imperial abbey" ("Reichsabtei" or "Reichskloster" — independent from all territorial lordship bar that of the emperor alone) which was renewed several times under Barbarossa and his successors. Pope Innocent II also took the abbey under his particular patronage.
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Wikipedia