WESSOBRUNN
591
WESSOBRUNN
land, Pius VII put an end to Wessenberg's reforma-
tory plans in that part of the diocese by severing the
Swiss cantons from the Diocese of Constance, in a
Brief of 21 October, 1S14. On 2 November of the
same year the pope ordered Dalberg to depose Wes-
senbcrg without delay from the office of vicar-general.
Dalberg kept the pope's order secret, though in the
beginning of ISlo he tem])orarily replaced Wessen-
berg as vicar-general by Canon von Roll for private
reasons. In the summer of 1815 he requested the
Government of Baden to appoint VVessenberg his
coadjutor with the right of succession. The Govern-
ment acceded to Dalberg's wish, but Rome refused to
recognize the coadjutorship. In the same year Wes-
senberg published anonymously a notorious anti-
papal treatise entitled "Die deutsche Kirche. Ein
Vorschlag zu ihrer neuen Bcgriindung und Einrich-
tung". It is a plea for his scheme of a German
National Church, and suggests detailed plans as to its
organization. On 17 Feb., 1817, seven days after the
death of Dalberg, the Chapter of Constance elected
Wessenberg as vicar of the chapter and administrator
of the diocese, but his election was invalidated bv
Pius VII in a Brief of 15 March, 1817. In July Wes-
senberg went to Rome, hoping to gain the pope to his
side and return as primate of his projected German
Church or, at least, as Bishop of Constance. He was
kindly received by Consalvi, the secretary of state,
but was told that, before the pope would enter into
anj' negotiations with him, he would have to resign
as administrator and, like Fenelon, make a declara-
tion to the effect that he disapproved all that the pope
disapproves. Refusing to submit to these conditions,
he left Rome and with the approval of the Govern-
ment of Baden continued to act as administrator of
Constance until 1827, in open disobedience to the
pope. Pius VII suppressed the Diocese of Con-
stance in his Bull, "Provida soUersque", of 16 Aug.,
1821, incorporating it in the newly erected Archdio-
cese of Freiburg, whose first archbishop, Bernard Boll,
was appointed in 1827. It must be said to the credit
of We.ssenberg that during his administration he ren-
dered some .services to the Church. Among these are
especially noteworthy his deep solicitude for a better
training and stricter disciphne of the clergj' and his
insistence on regular Sunday sermons in parish
churches and semi-weekly religious instructions in the
state schools. After his retirement in 1827 he gave
vent to his anti-papal sentiments and spread his
rationalistic \news on religion and the Church by vari-
ous treatises and by frequent contributions to the
anti-religious review, "Die freimiithigen Blatter"
(Constance, 1830-44). His chief literary productions
are: "Die gros,sen Kirchenversammlungen des 15. und
16. Jahrhimderts in Beziehung auf Kirchenver-
besserung" (4 vols., Constance, 1840, 2nd ed., 1845),
extremely anti-papal (cf. Hefele, in "Tiibinger Quar-
talschrift ", 1841, 616 sq.); "Die Stellung des rom-
ischen Stuhles gegeniiber dem Geiste des 19. Jahr-
hunderts" (Zurich, 18.33); "Die Risthumssynode
und die Erfordemisse und Bedingungen einer heil-
Bamen Herstellung derselben" (Freiburg, 1849). The
last-named two works were placed on the Index. He
is also the author of a collection of poems (7 vols.,
Stuttgart, 1843-54).
Beck, Frnherr Ion, Ifeinrick v. Wessenberg. Sein Leben u. Wirken (Freiburg, 1862; 2nd ed.. 1.874), panegjriral. wa-i placed on the Index; Weech, Badischr Biogrnphien, II (Heidelberg. 187S), 4.52 sq.; Lauer, Cesch. dir kalholischen Kxrrhe in Baden (Freiburg, 1908), passim, especially .51-71: BrOck. Gesrh. der kalholischen Kirche in Deulschland im 19. Jahrhunderl. I (Maim, 1902), 150-60; Von Schclte in Allg. Deutsche Biographie, XI.II; (Lcipiig, 1897), 147-57; Robch, Das religiSse Leben im Hohen- lollern unler dem Einfiusse des Wcssenbergianismus 1800-1860 (Cologne, 1908).
Michael Ott.
Wessobrunn (WEssoocNTANrM, ad pontes Wes- soNisi, a suppres.se<l Benedictine abbey near Weil- helm in Upper Bavaria. It was founded aboiit 753
by Duke Tassilo and named after the duke's hunting
companion Wesso who discovered a well at the present
site of the monastery. It was colonized by monks
from Niederaltaich with Abbot Ilsung (758-799) at
their head. Under him was completed a church dedi-
cated to Sts. Peter and Paul and he took part in the
synod of Dingolfing in 770. His .successor Adelmar
(799-831 ) was present at the Council of Aachen in 817
and during his abbacy, Wessobrunn, which had origi-
nally belonged to the Diocese of Brixen, was joined to
the Diocese of Augsburg. In 9.55 the abbey was de-
stroyed by the Hungarians, on which occasion Abbot
Thiento and six of his monks suffered martyrdom,
while the remaining three fled to Andechs with the
sacred relics. The monastery was then occupied by
canons until 1065 in which year the provost Adalbero
restored the Rule of St. Benedict and governed as
abbot until his death in 1110. In the first year of his
abbacy the monastic church was rebuilt and was dedi-
cated by Bishop Embrico of Augsburg. Adalbero
was succeeded by Sigihard (1110-28), during whose
reign a separate church was built for the neighbouring
people, dedicated to St. John the Baptist in 1128.
Under Abbot Bl. Waltho (1129-57) Wessobrunn
enjoyed its first era of great spiritual and temporal
prosperity. By rearing various tasteful edifices he
gave the first impul.se to unusual architectural activity
and the cultivation of art for which Wes-sobrunn
became famous in subsequent times. During his
incumbency we find the earliest mention made of ,a
nunnery in connexion with the abbey. It was here
that Blessed Wulfhildis and the learned and pious
Diemoth lived and died under his guidance. (Con-
cerning him see "Monatsschrift des hist. Vereins von
Oberbayern", I, Munich, 1892, 55sq.) Thethreefol-
lowing centuries were periods of successive rise and
decline. In 1401 the abbots of Wessobrunn were
granted the right of pontifical insignia. A new era of
great prosperity began with the accession of Ulrich
Stocklin (143S-43), who had previously been a monk
at Tegernsec and acquired considerable fame as a
writer of sacred hymns. His rhj-med prayers are
highly finished and breathe a deep piety, though at
times owing to their excessive length they become
tedious. G. M. Dreves, who edited them in his "Ana-
lecta Hymnica", III, VI, and XXXVIII, styles him
"one of the most jjrolific rhvthmic poets of the later
Middle Ages". Abbot Heinrich Zach (1498-1508)
installed a printing press at the monastery, and Abbot
Georg I'ebelhor (1.598-1607) founded the famous
Wessobrunn school of stucco-work from which issued
the great masters Schmuzer (Matthias, Johann, Franz,
and Joseph) and Zimmermann (.Johann and Dominik).
Towards the end of the seventeenth century Abbot
Leonard Weiss (1671-96) began the rebuilding of the
church and monasterv- in larger dimensions. This abbot
was also instrumental in the formation of the Bavarian
Benedictine Congregation in 1684 and joined his
abbey toit. From thcsixteenth century to the seculari-
zation of Wessobrunn in 1803, its monks displayed a
continuous rare literary activity and some of them
acquired fame as authors and teachers in various
schools of Germany. Among the best known are:
the historians Stephan Leopolder (d, 1,532) and Coe-
lestin Leutner (d. 17.59); the theologians Thomas
Ringmayr (d. 16,52), Thomas Erhard (d. 1743), Vere-
mvmd Eisvogl (d. 1761), Alphon.se Campi (d. 1769),
Ulrich Mitfcrmayr (d. 1770), Virgil Sedlmayr (d.
1772), Sympert Schwarzhuber (d. 1795); the canonists
Ctregor Zallwein (q. v.; d. 1766) and Johann Klein-
mayern (the last Abbot of Wes.sobnmn, d. 1810); the
librarian and .scientist An.selm EUinger (d. 1816).
Among these, Leutner, Campi, Eisvogl, and Mitter-
niayr collaborated in the edition of a large concord-
ance of the Bible which was published at .Aug.sburg in
1751. .\f(i"r its .'ircuhirization in 1803 the abbey came
into the po.sscssion of a certain De Montot. In 1810
