Dominikanerinsel - Konstanz, BW, D - Abbeys, Convents and Monasteries on Waymarking.com

Brothers of the order of preachers, which was only founded in 1215, could have come to Constance as early as 1220, i.e. while the founder of the order, Dominikus, who died in 1221, was still alive. In 1236, the Bishop of Konstanz, Heinrich I, allowed the founding of a monastery and gave the order the island in front of the city, which had previously belonged to the Benedictine monastery of Petershausen. Young men from the Constance patriciate and the surrounding ministry asked to be admitted. In 1244 even the resigned abbot of the monastery of St. Gallen, Werner von Trauchburg, joined the convent. The construction of the church and monastery, begun around 1250, was completed around 1270. A lecturer is mentioned for the first time in 1255, and the study program probably started shortly before. In Constance only basic studies were offered, for further training gifted brothers were sent to one of the general studies of the order, especially Cologne. As a mendicant order, the Dominicans depended on alms and gifts for their pastoral services. The termination district of the Constance Convent included the Thurgau, today's canton of St. Gallen, northern Vorarlberg, Upper Swabia up to the Iller with the exception of the north-eastern part, the Hegau and Klettgau. The alms collectors could stay in the term houses in Schaffhausen, Meßkirch, Ravensburg, Isny ??as well as in the convents of the order in this area. The Constance monastery was responsible for pastoral care and spiritual direction in the two convents incorporated in the order, Löwental and St. Katharinental, as well as various Dominican sister communities under episcopal jurisdiction, but often delegated this to secular clergy. Constance belonged to the province of Teutonia, established in 1221, and since 1303 to the nation of Suevia within this province. The most famous member of the convent is the mystic Heinrich Seuse (around 1297-1366). He entered the monastery around 1310 at the age of 13, completed the novitiate, special studies in Constance and attended general studies in Cologne. In 1327 he was reprimanded by the provincial chapter for standing up for Meister Eckhart. After his return from Cologne, Seuse was employed as a lecturer in Constance, but was dismissed again in 1334 because of his teachings. Cosiness and nonchalance determined life in the convent, and the confreres took offense at Seuse's strict asceticism. He now turned to his fellow men and was on the road as an itinerant preacher. When the interdict was imposed on the city in 1336 and King Ludwig the Bavarian demanded its disregard in 1338, the majority of the convent left the city and went into exile in St. Katharinental or in the Schottenkloster outside Constance. In exile, the brothers elected Seuse to be prior in 1343/44. The Dominicans were able to return in 1346, and in 1347 Seuse was falsely accused of sexual offenses. His superiors then transferred him to the Dominican monastery in Ulm. There he wrote his autobiography, "a textbook on Christian behavior and suffering" (Borst) and died in 1366. In the Schism (1388-1417), the German Dominicans remained with Roman obedience. During the Council, the General Master of the Order resided in the monastery and the Italian and French nations met there. Constance was defensive towards the observance movement in the order and joined the non-observant congregation in the province from 1475-1608. During the Reformation, the Dominicans had to vacate their monastery and settled first in Radolfzell and then again in St. Katharinental. From there, after the city was re-catholicized in 1549, they were able to return to their monastery in Constance, which the city had used as a hospital. The monastery archives had meanwhile been lost. When the province of Teutonia was reorganized into vicariates in 1619, Constance was assigned to the vicariate of Helvetia, which only included Constance as a male monastery, but also included eight Dominican convents, three in Switzerland (St. Katharinental, Schwyz, Steinen) and five north of Lake Constance ( Löwental, Siessen, Pfullendorf, Kubach, Engen). Freiburg and Augsburg, later Bamberg and Landshut, were now the study centers of the province. In 1709 the province of Teutonia was divided and the vicariate of Helvetia was assigned to the new province of Germania superior. In the 17th and 18th centuries the convent usually consisted of 15-20 confreres. He promoted the establishment of rosary confraternities, which were founded in many parishes and which are still commemorated in these churches by the altars of the confraternity with the rosary donation to Dominic and Catherine of Siena. From the 17th century the income of the monastery deteriorated, it became impoverished and went into debt. In 1781 Constance had to leave the province along with Freiburg, since connections to monasteries outside of Austria were no longer tolerated. Emperor Joseph II brought entrepreneurs from Geneva to Constance in order to strengthen the city's economy. In 1785 he gave them the monastery buildings on the island for the establishment an indienne manufactory. The 16 priests and six lay brothers had to move to the Dominican convent of St. Peter an der Fahr. But only two Fathers and four lay brothers formed a convent there. The others had been transferred to other convents or worked as confessors in convents. New novices were no longer allowed to be admitted, and by 1800 13 priests had died. When Baden dissolved the monastery in 1807, the prior and three lay brothers who were retired still lived there. The monastery assets worth only 39,000 fl. In 1810 Vicar General Wessenberg exsecrated the monastery church of St. Peter. In 1813 the Geneva manufacturer Macaire bought the entire island with all the buildings, and in 1874 the monastery was converted into an island hotel. Around 1820-30 the library is said to have been lost. The buildings of today's Inselhotel, albeit enlarged, still give an impression of the former monastery complex in their arrangement around the preserved cloister and with the church converted into a dining room. Cloister and church were probably built between 1250 and 1270 and still show Romanesque features. The church is a three-aisled, flat-roofed basilica with a straight chancel. The pillars of the church are reminiscent of those of the minster. A first early Gothic painting of the church was made before the provincial chapter of 1276, a fresco with seven standing saints has been preserved. The church was extensively painted around 1300, from which a large martyr frieze with originally 102 drastic depictions of martyrdom scenes has survived. Also around 1300, the church received stained glass with a Christ cycle, parts of which are now in the castle chapel in Heiligenberg.

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Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: Sankt Nikolaus Address: Auf der Insel 1 Konstanz, Germany Religious affiliation: roman catholic Date founded/constructed: 1/1/1220 Web Site: [Web Link] Status of Use: Converted to Other Use

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