Did you know that Petershausen Abbey once housed the head of Pope Gregory the Great? Right here before you stands the site of this remarkable Benedictine imperial abbey. Founded in 983 by Bishop Gebhard of Constance it held a significant place on the northern shore of the Rhine opposite Constance Cathedral.
Petershausen Abbey wasn’t just a monastery. It was a powerful institution. Its strategic location at the Rhine and Lake Constance junction made it important. The abbey’s monks initially came from Einsiedeln. They dedicated their church to Pope Gregory the Great. Bishop Gebhard even enshrined the Pope’s head there.
Life wasn’t always peaceful at Petershausen Abbey. The abbey clashed with Constance and Swabian nobles. They frequently fought over land and power. To survive they sought the protection of the Hohenstaufen emperors. Emperor Frederick II granted Petershausen immediacy. This gave them territorial independence as an imperial abbey.
During the Council of Constance (1414-18) the German king Sigismund stayed at the Abbey. The abbot even received pontifical vestments from Antipope John XXIII. However hard times followed. The abbey struggled during the 14th and 15th centuries. Both the free imperial city of Constance and the prince-bishopric pressured the abbey relentlessly.
The Reformation caused further turmoil. The monks were expelled. The abbey suffered damage during the Schmalkaldic War. The city of Constance was conquered by Spanish troops. It was re-Catholicized losing its status as a free imperial city. After this the monks eventually returned to their restored monastery in 1556. Later the Thirty Years’ War forced the abbey to build fortifications. A Merian engraving depicts the fortified abbey during the 1633 siege.
Petershausen Abbey finally met its end in 1802. It was secularized and given to Baden. The University Library of Heidelberg acquired its library. Margrave Charles Frederick of Baden then had parts rebuilt as a private residence. The St Gregory Church was sadly demolished in 1832. The remaining buildings served various purposes. They were once a psychiatric hospital and barracks. Today they house administrative offices an educational facility and importantly the Archaeological Museum of Baden-Württemberg. So as you stand here remember the rich and turbulent history of Petershausen Abbey. It’s a story of faith power conflict and ultimate transformation.