Monastery of Lorsch

              The Abbey and Altenmunster Lorsch is a monastery from the Carolingian era. During the late eighth and early ninth century, Carolingian power expanded and during the time, rulers like Charlemagne supported the development of literary culture, so they commissioned many monastery projects. The rise of monasteries was crucial because monasteries serve as the main center of learning during the Carolingian era. (1) The monasteries serve three main objectives: religious retreats, center of scholarship and art and lastly but most importantly is that these monasteries were used as public schools for learning literacy and Latin. (2) But of course, aside from these, the monasteries were used by the rulers to gain support of the aristocrats and to govern their empire.

               

              The Abbey of Lorsch was also called Konigshalle, located in the town of Lorsch, Hesse, Germany. This is a gatehouse that serves as a remainder of the past grandeur of an abbey found in 764. The detail of this building is still visible and it still showcases its original appearance. Around 876, this monastery became a burial spot for the Carolingian Kings of the Eastern part of the Frankish realm. (3)

               The monastery flourished throughout the eleventh century, but in 1090 a devastating fire burned through it all and destroyed it. But soon, in the twelve century, the monastery was reconstructed. Then in around 1232, Lorsch was incorporated in Electorate of Mainz and this took away half the power of the monastery and causing it to lose many of its privileges. Aside from that, another disaster awaits for the monastery because a second fire broke out and once again burned the monastery to the floor. Politics and war deteriorated all the glorious establishments of the Carolingian reign. (3)

Works Cited 

       1.     Rosamond McKitterick, Charlemagne. The Formation of a European Identity (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008) p.297-298

       2.     Entre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

       3.     Pfingsten Max. “Carolingian Architecture: Style, Characteristics and Examples.” Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.