The Benedictine Monastery St. Burkard

The Benedictine Abbey St. Burkard in Würzburg has its origin in the Andreas Monastery which was founded in 748 by St. Burkard, the first bishop of Würzburg.  Over the course of the 10th century, the impoverished Benedictine monastery was abandoned until it was rebuilt and revived by Bishop Hugo in 986. Similtaneously, the monastery also recieved the bones of St. Burkard and was renamed into St. Burkardus Monastery. Around the year 1000, the old monastery building was destroyed by a fire. The monastery, including its church St. Burkard, was rebuilt at a different place in a romanesque style under Abbot Willemund in the years 1033-1042. After the construction was finished, the new building was consecrated by Bishop Bruno in the presence of Emperor Heinrich III.

Further building activities include a portal vestibule that was added to the church 1180 as well the raising of the two east towers by two levels in 1250. During the late Middle Ages, the inhabitants of the monastery lived increasingly detached from the Rule of Saint Benedict, which lead to the conversion of the monastery into a collegiate church in 1464. In 1490, the romanesque church building was complemented by the late gothic transept and the east choir, although the interior was only largely furnished during the mid-16th century. After the secularization in 1803, the collegiate was dissolved and the church became property of the local parish. Nowadays, St. Burkard‘s church is the only building of the former monastery that is still intact.

FORMAL ANALYSIS