St. Blasien Abbey, its Dom and the Abbey Trail

4 November 2024

St. Blasien Abbey (Baden-Württemberg) in the Naturpark Südschwarzwald and the Albsteig was founded in the 11th century. A document of the Rheinau Abbey near Schaffhausen mentioned around 800 monks in a community at this site in the Alb Valley (Albtal).

The Benedictine abbey was dedicated to Saint Blaise (4th century), an Armenian martyr. The Abbey of Cluny took over the monastery in the 11th century and built the first large stone church on the foundations of the ‘Alte Münster’ (9th or 10th century).

The complex expanded further In the following centuries. Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque innovations, extensions and styles alternated. A fire in 1768 destroyed the church, to be resurrected around 1783 like a phoenix from the ashes as an overwhelming domed church modelled on St. Mary’s Church, the Pantheon, in Rome.

Abbot Martin II. Gerbert

The prior abbot (abbot and prince of the Holy Roman Empire) Martin II. Gerbert (1729-1793) was the initiator. He was a man between the Baroque and the Enlightenment, and the new church showcases both styles.

Rome, the churches of Saint-Geneviève, Saint-Sulpice, and Val-de-Grâce, and the architectural style of the Dôme des Invalides in Paris influenced him.

Thus, the small complex in the Black Forest, not far from the Wiese and Alb springs at the Feldberg, grew into one of the largest Doms in Europe. The tall fountain figure of St. Blasien has been watching over the cathedral on the market square since 1716.

But in 1806, the monastery was dissolved, and the proud Dom was demoted to a parish church. To make matters worse, this parish church, one of Europe’s most giant domes, was utterly destroyed by a fire in 1874.

The domed church was rebuilt in 1913. In the 1970s and 1980s, a thorough renovation was undertaken to restore the cathedral of 1783 with its narthex, loggias, and Doric columns as much as possible.

The rotunda and its classical architecture, the decoration with late baroque elements (including paintings in the dome and on the chancel arches), the four large windows, the ionic and Corinthian columns and the simplicity of the interior show the spirit of the age of 1783 in this part of Germany.

The monk’s choir and its wooden chairs were the last phase of the 1983 renovation, just in time to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Dom’s consecration (Domweihe).

The Dom has a diameter of 36 metres and a height of 32 metres. The inner Dom is 18 metres high, while the gilded outer Dom measures 14 metres. The columns supporting the Dom are 18 metres high. The total height of the building is 62 metres. The first wooden structure of the Dom, destroyed in 1874, was replaced by a steel construction in 1913.

As early as 1783, Abbot Martin II Gerbert was criticised by his contemporaries, who considered him to be behind a megalomaniacal project. He countered this by saying:

‘If the powerful of this world build their magnificent castles and palaces, then surely a glorious house is befitting for the majestic Lord and God’ (Wenn schon die Mächtigen der Welt ihre Prunkschlösser und ihre Paläste bauen, sei doch wohl dem majestätischen Herrn und Gott ein glanzvolles Haus angemessen).

The majestic sight of the Dom and monastery complex still exists under the watchful eye of St Blaise. However, after 1806, secular power and the widely scattered lands, other possessions, and political relationships in Baden, Austria, and Switzerland belonged to the past. However, the abbey trail (Klosterweg) from St. Blasien to Klingnau shows the abbey’s past and regional network.

The professional glass carrier (der Glasträger) first appeared in the sources of the 16th century. He was indispensable in the production chain. Image: Gemeinde St. Blasien. Photo: TES

Glass production

Glass production in the glassworks was a crucial industry of the abbey. The foundations of the St Blasian glassworks, their locations and operating times were:

1480-1515 Bernau am Todtmooserweg

1516-1567 Glashof St. Blasien

1560-1587 Bernau am Rechberg

1579-1684 Blasiwald Habsmoos

1597-1684 Blasiwald Munchenland ob Neuhäuser Bach

1611-1716 Grünwald bei Kappel

1622-1684 Blasiwald Schmalzberg Althütte

1684-1712 Glashütte am oberen Windbergbach

1716-1878 Glashütte Äule