Punto de interés
Church of St James
The former church of the abbey’s lay workers, later used by a Protestant congregation.
Idioma del contenido
The Church of St James served as the parish church for the monastery’s lay workers. The Baroque building was erected in 1697 on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. It has a single nave and a Latin-cross plan, with its façade facing east towards the monastery church. The two churches illustrate a division of functions within the abbey: one was associated with the monastic community, the other with people working for it.
After the dissolution of the abbey, the building was used as an arsenal. In 1836 it was handed to the local Protestant congregation, which used it until 1945. Its former rich interior decoration has not survived. Service buildings once adjoined the church, of which a carriage house remains. The church forms part of the buildings enclosing the western side of the monastery square. It is not one of the four interiors on the daily visiting programme; its history can be explored from outside, without assuming access to its interior.
Para niños
Not everyone connected with the monastery was a monk. The Church of St James was intended for the abbey’s lay workers. The present building was erected in 1697 on the site of an older church. It has one nave and a cross-shaped plan. Its façade faces the monastery church.
After the abbey closed, the building took on different jobs. It became an arsenal, a place for storing weapons. In 1836 it was given to the local Protestant community, which used it until 1945. The rich interior decoration has not survived. A carriage house remains beside it, part of the former service buildings. St James’s is not one of the four interiors regularly opened to visitors. Here its history is explored by viewing the building from outside.
Pregunta 1 de 2
For whom did the church originally serve as a parish church?
- Ubicación
- West side of the monastery square. Viewed from outside; not part of the regular interior tour.