Quedlinburg Abbey

Imperial Abbey of Quedlinburg
Reichsstift Quedlinburg
936–1802/3
Coat of arms of Quedlinburg
Coat of arms
Castle and abbey of Quedlinburg
Castle and abbey of Quedlinburg
StatusImperial Abbey
CapitalQuedlinburg
GovernmentElective principality
Historical eraMiddle Ages, Early modern
• Abbey founded
936
1500
• Turned Protestant
1539
1802/3
• Incorporated into
    Province of Saxony

1816
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Duchy of Saxony Duchy of Saxony
Kingdom of Prussia
Today part ofGermany
Quedlinburg Abbey
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official nameCollegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg
CriteriaCultural: iv
Reference535
Inscription1994 (18th Session)
Area90 ha
Buffer zone270 ha

Quedlinburg Abbey (German: Stift Quedlinburg or Reichsstift Quedlinburg) was a house of secular canonesses (Frauenstift) in Quedlinburg in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.[1][2] It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of the East Frankish King Henry the Fowler, as his memorial.[3] For many centuries it and its abbesses enjoyed great prestige and influence. Quedlinburg Abbey was an Imperial Estate and one of the approximately forty self-ruling Imperial Abbeys of the Holy Roman Empire. It was disestablished in 1802/3. The church, known as Stiftskirche St Servatius, is now used by the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Germany.

The castle, abbey, church, and surrounding buildings are exceptionally well preserved and are masterpieces of Romanesque architecture. As a result, and because of their historical importance, the buildings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.[4]

  1. ^ Hans-Erich Weirauch: Die Güterpolitik des Stiftes Quedlinburg im Mittelalter. In: Sachsen und Anhalt, 13; (Magdeburg 1937) p117–181.
  2. ^ Jan Gerchow (Hrsg.): Essen und die sächsischen Frauenstifte im Frühmittelalter. Essener Forschungen zum Frauenstift 2; (Essen, 2003).
  3. ^ The "Later Life" of Queen Mathilda Page 99
  4. ^ "Collegiate Church, Castle and Old Town of Quedlinburg". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 25 June 2022.

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