Mgr. Adéla Věra Wagnerová is a PhD student in Historical Auxiliary Sciences (University of Hradec Králové, Philosophical Faculty). In her research, she focuses on the Benedictines in Bohemia in the early modern period, particularly on the Břevnov-Broumov abbey in the times of Friedrich Grundmann (1752-1772).
The name of the Břevnov-Broumov abbey first entered the written record in the Middle Ages, when its abbots began to use this designation after being forced to relocate from Břevnov (part of Prague) to Broumov (Hradec Králové Region). By the time the Czech Benedictines, as the part of Congregatio Benedictinorum Bohemica, entered the eighteenth century they were in a relatively good position artistically and financially. During the ensuing period, however, they would be affected by several events that would impact the monasteries in the Czech lands. This blog post will describe some of the various events and church reforms that had the largest impact on the Benedictine monks, including the taxation of church properties in 1768, the abolition of the regional treasuries of the orders, and the decision on the abolition of monasteries from 1782. This period influenced the Benedictines in many ways, from the development of architecture, the exemption dispute, the effects of the Silesian Wars, and the impact of several important abbots.
One of the most important ways the Benedictines impacted the monasteries in the Czech lands was in their architecture and art. The eighteenth century followed the end of the baroque expansion of the previous century. This architectural flowering started with abbot Thomas Sartorius and was then taken over by his successor Daniel Othmar Zinke, who expanded the Břevnov and Police nad Metují monastery by one wing. In 1708 Daniel Othmar Zinke employed Christoph Dientzenhofer, who became the abbot’s permanent architect. Dientezenhofer’s son Kilian Ignaz then took charge of rebuilding the Broumov monastery and commissioned paintings by Wenzel Lorenz Reiner. Johann Jakob Stevens von Steinfels and Petr Brandl also worked for the Benedictines. After the high point of Deintzenhofer’s architecture, artistic activity continued but shifted its attention mainly to interior decoration and repairs.
Another crucial aspect in shaping the monasteries of this period was the Silesian Wars. They affected the Benedictines in many ways, from the need to accommodate various troops to high financial expenses. The whole situation had, among other things, an adverse impact on the monastery estates. The military events prevented the ongoing building development of the monasteries, and some of them suffered immense damage, particularly the Břevnov monastery, which was damaged by the cannonade in 1742. The majority of the convent then moved into Kladno, and the main administration shifted into Broumov. In 1752, a new abbot, formerly prior, Friedrich Grundmann took over. Grundmann had a rocky tenure. He had to withstand events related to the Seven Year’s War and the last years of the exemption dispute (see below). To add to the difficulties, a fire broke out in the Broumov monastery five years later. The wars hit the Benedictines hard, but still the abbots managed to take care of the monasteries.
An important event which shaped the monasteries was the exemption dispute. This dispute centred on the exemption from the powers of the archbishop and direct submission of the Congregation to the Pope between the Břevnov-Broumov abbots and archbishopric in Prague. Starting during Zinke’s tenure, the dispute lasted more than fifty years, ending with the Benedictines losing the exemption in 1758 while Friedrich Grundmann was abbot.
The individual abbots themselves shaped the Benedictine order. In 1773, Stephan Rautenstrauch became the new abbot, and the following year was not only councillor to the court office but also named director of the Viennese theological studies. Rautenstrauch was largely involved in planning the programme of the general seminary (state school for the education of Catholic priests) and spent most of his time in Vienna. He needed to deal with the peasants’ revolt in the Broumov region in 1776 and with the financial situation of the Břevnov-Broumov abbey after the war period. The last of the eighteenth-century abbots was Jakub II. Chmel, who had to manage the abolition of the monasteries after it was decreed by Joseph II. in 1782 that monasteries which did not provide education, healthcare, or scientific activity were not useful enough for society. The effects of this decree are easily visible in the Hradec Králové region, where the nearby monastery in Police nad Metují was shut down in 1786. Luckily, the Broumov monastery, with its centuries-old tradition of grammar school education, was not abolished, but many of the monasteries did not have time to recover from all the previous disruptive events.
The eighteenth century was very dynamic for the Břevnov-Broumov abbey. It has left us with many Baroque architectural gems that are still visible in the Czech Republic to this day. At the same time, it brought large financial and material burdens to the Benedictines. Despite the loss of the exemption, the Břevnov-Broumov abbey has remained a strong segment of the religious community in Bohemia to this day.
Ecclesiastical History Society 