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 WESSOBRUNN

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WESSOBRUNN

land, Pius VII put an end to Wessenberg's reforma- tory plans in that part of the diocese by severing the Swiss cantons from the Diocese of Constance, in a Brief of 21 October, 1S14. On 2 November of the same year the pope ordered Dalberg to depose Wes- senbcrg without delay from the office of vicar-general. Dalberg kept the pope's order secret, though in the beginning of ISlo he tem])orarily replaced Wessen- berg as vicar-general by Canon von Roll for private reasons. In the summer of 1815 he requested the Government of Baden to appoint VVessenberg his coadjutor with the right of succession. The Govern- ment acceded to Dalberg's wish, but Rome refused to recognize the coadjutorship. In the same year Wes- senberg published anonymously a notorious anti- papal treatise entitled "Die deutsche Kirche. Ein Vorschlag zu ihrer neuen Bcgriindung und Einrich- tung". It is a plea for his scheme of a German National Church, and suggests detailed plans as to its organization. On 17 Feb., 1817, seven days after the death of Dalberg, the Chapter of Constance elected Wessenberg as vicar of the chapter and administrator of the diocese, but his election was invalidated bv Pius VII in a Brief of 15 March, 1817. In July Wes- senberg went to Rome, hoping to gain the pope to his side and return as primate of his projected German Church or, at least, as Bishop of Constance. He was kindly received by Consalvi, the secretary of state, but was told that, before the pope would enter into anj' negotiations with him, he would have to resign as administrator and, like Fenelon, make a declara- tion to the effect that he disapproved all that the pope disapproves. Refusing to submit to these conditions, he left Rome and with the approval of the Govern- ment of Baden continued to act as administrator of Constance until 1827, in open disobedience to the pope. Pius VII suppressed the Diocese of Con- stance in his Bull, "Provida soUersque", of 16 Aug., 1821, incorporating it in the newly erected Archdio- cese of Freiburg, whose first archbishop, Bernard Boll, was appointed in 1827. It must be said to the credit of We.ssenberg that during his administration he ren- dered some .services to the Church. Among these are especially noteworthy his deep solicitude for a better training and stricter disciphne of the clergj' and his insistence on regular Sunday sermons in parish churches and semi-weekly religious instructions in the state schools. After his retirement in 1827 he gave vent to his anti-papal sentiments and spread his rationalistic \news on religion and the Church by vari- ous treatises and by frequent contributions to the anti-religious review, "Die freimiithigen Blatter" (Constance, 1830-44). His chief literary productions are: "Die gros,sen Kirchenversammlungen des 15. und 16. Jahrhimderts in Beziehung auf Kirchenver- besserung" (4 vols., Constance, 1840, 2nd ed., 1845), extremely anti-papal (cf. Hefele, in "Tiibinger Quar- talschrift ", 1841, 616 sq.); "Die Stellung des rom- ischen Stuhles gegeniiber dem Geiste des 19. Jahr- hunderts" (Zurich, 18.33); "Die Risthumssynode und die Erfordemisse und Bedingungen einer heil- Bamen Herstellung derselben" (Freiburg, 1849). The last-named two works were placed on the Index. He is also the author of a collection of poems (7 vols., Stuttgart, 1843-54).

Beck, Frnherr Ion, Ifeinrick v. Wessenberg. Sein Leben u. Wirken (Freiburg, 1862; 2nd ed.. 1.874), panegjriral. wa-i placed on the Index; Weech, Badischr Biogrnphien, II (Heidelberg. 187S), 4.52 sq.; Lauer, Cesch. dir kalholischen Kxrrhe in Baden (Freiburg, 1908), passim, especially .51-71: BrOck. Gesrh. der kalholischen Kirche in Deulschland im 19. Jahrhunderl. I (Maim, 1902), 150-60; Von Schclte in Allg. Deutsche Biographie, XI.II; (Lcipiig, 1897), 147-57; Robch, Das religiSse Leben im Hohen- lollern unler dem Einfiusse des Wcssenbergianismus 1800-1860 (Cologne, 1908).

Michael Ott.

Wessobrunn (WEssoocNTANrM, ad pontes Wes- soNisi, a suppres.se<l Benedictine abbey near Weil- helm in Upper Bavaria. It was founded aboiit 753

by Duke Tassilo and named after the duke's hunting companion Wesso who discovered a well at the present site of the monastery. It was colonized by monks from Niederaltaich with Abbot Ilsung (758-799) at their head. Under him was completed a church dedi- cated to Sts. Peter and Paul and he took part in the synod of Dingolfing in 770. His .successor Adelmar (799-831 ) was present at the Council of Aachen in 817 and during his abbacy, Wessobrunn, which had origi- nally belonged to the Diocese of Brixen, was joined to the Diocese of Augsburg. In 9.55 the abbey was de- stroyed by the Hungarians, on which occasion Abbot Thiento and six of his monks suffered martyrdom, while the remaining three fled to Andechs with the sacred relics. The monastery was then occupied by canons until 1065 in which year the provost Adalbero restored the Rule of St. Benedict and governed as abbot until his death in 1110. In the first year of his abbacy the monastic church was rebuilt and was dedi- cated by Bishop Embrico of Augsburg. Adalbero was succeeded by Sigihard (1110-28), during whose reign a separate church was built for the neighbouring people, dedicated to St. John the Baptist in 1128. Under Abbot Bl. Waltho (1129-57) Wessobrunn enjoyed its first era of great spiritual and temporal prosperity. By rearing various tasteful edifices he gave the first impul.se to unusual architectural activity and the cultivation of art for which Wes-sobrunn became famous in subsequent times. During his incumbency we find the earliest mention made of ,a nunnery in connexion with the abbey. It was here that Blessed Wulfhildis and the learned and pious Diemoth lived and died under his guidance. (Con- cerning him see "Monatsschrift des hist. Vereins von Oberbayern", I, Munich, 1892, 55sq.) Thethreefol- lowing centuries were periods of successive rise and decline. In 1401 the abbots of Wessobrunn were granted the right of pontifical insignia. A new era of great prosperity began with the accession of Ulrich Stocklin (143S-43), who had previously been a monk at Tegernsec and acquired considerable fame as a writer of sacred hymns. His rhj-med prayers are highly finished and breathe a deep piety, though at times owing to their excessive length they become tedious. G. M. Dreves, who edited them in his "Ana- lecta Hymnica", III, VI, and XXXVIII, styles him "one of the most jjrolific rhvthmic poets of the later Middle Ages". Abbot Heinrich Zach (1498-1508) installed a printing press at the monastery, and Abbot Georg I'ebelhor (1.598-1607) founded the famous Wessobrunn school of stucco-work from which issued the great masters Schmuzer (Matthias, Johann, Franz, and Joseph) and Zimmermann (.Johann and Dominik). Towards the end of the seventeenth century Abbot Leonard Weiss (1671-96) began the rebuilding of the church and monasterv- in larger dimensions. This abbot was also instrumental in the formation of the Bavarian Benedictine Congregation in 1684 and joined his abbey toit. From thcsixteenth century to the seculari- zation of Wessobrunn in 1803, its monks displayed a continuous rare literary activity and some of them acquired fame as authors and teachers in various schools of Germany. Among the best known are: the historians Stephan Leopolder (d, 1,532) and Coe- lestin Leutner (d. 17.59); the theologians Thomas Ringmayr (d. 16,52), Thomas Erhard (d. 1743), Vere- mvmd Eisvogl (d. 1761), Alphon.se Campi (d. 1769), Ulrich Mitfcrmayr (d. 1770), Virgil Sedlmayr (d. 1772), Sympert Schwarzhuber (d. 1795); the canonists Ctregor Zallwein (q. v.; d. 1766) and Johann Klein- mayern (the last Abbot of Wes.sobnmn, d. 1810); the librarian and .scientist An.selm EUinger (d. 1816). Among these, Leutner, Campi, Eisvogl, and Mitter- niayr collaborated in the edition of a large concord- ance of the Bible which was published at .Aug.sburg in 1751. .\f(i"r its .'ircuhirization in 1803 the abbey came into the po.sscssion of a certain De Montot. In 1810