Cologne Crosiers (Schildergasse), Cologne
A Crosier Order house on Schildergasse founded in 1309, famed for its surviving library of 97 medieval manuscripts, the "Libelli Rhenani."
The community traced its roots to the Steinhaus monastery near Beyenburg, founded in 1298, from which two brothers were sent at the behest of the order's sixth prior general, Father Jacobus, to explore establishing a house in Cologne.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Foundation of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers)
- Order family
- Canons Regular – though the brothers lived on alms like a mendicant order
- Location
- Schildergasse, Altstadt-Nord (Innenstadt district)
- Founded
- 1309
- Devotion
- Contemplation of the Passion of Christ
- Library
- "Libelli Rhenani," 97 surviving manuscripts
In 1287 the Crutched Friars acquired the relics of Saint Odilia in Cologne, which first made the order known in Germany – yet already in 1292 the relics were transferred back to the mother house in Huy.
Beginnings in Cologne
The Crosiers were already active in Cologne by 1287, when the Paris-based brother Johannes Novelan of Eppa acquired the relics of St. Odilia of Cologne, a companion of St. Ursula, bringing the order wider recognition across Germany. Odilia was made the order's patron saint, though her relics were later transferred to the mother house in Huy in 1292. In 1305 the brothers acquired a house at Waidmarkt, and in Cologne the order split into several branches, including the Holy Cross Brotherhood and the Brotherhood of the Sacrament and St. Agnes.
Settling on Schildergasse
Archbishop Henry II of Virneburg granted permission to settle on 21 April 1307, overriding the city of Cologne's reluctance to admit tax-exempt monasteries. Godelindis Hardefust, widow of the patrician Hilger Hardefust, took in the two founding brothers—the priest Reinhard and lay brother Johann de Brugis—at her house on what is now Schildergasse 84. The brothers took possession of the property on 5 April 1309, with papal confirmation following from Clement V on 15 May 1311, in exchange for an annual rent of 13 marks to the widow, who retained three rooms for herself.
Library and Priors
The existing St. Barbara Chapel served as the first oratory. To build up their library the brothers pursued extensive scribal work; a key librarian of the "Libelli Rhenani" was Conradus de Grunenberg (d. 1455/1456). Besides the manuscripts preserved in the Cologne City Archive, further volumes had already reached the Imperial Library in Vienna by 1575. The Cologne convent produced two priors general of the order, Theodoricus of Hall (1449) and Nicolaus of Harlem (1473), while Johannes von Bongart, prior from 1551, is credited with writing the monastery's chronicles.
Growth of the Monastic Complex
In 1358 a neighboring property was added through the will of Gertrud von Horne, and Kreuzgasse was opened up to allow for a new church building. The Barbara Chapel was expanded into a church with tower and bell in 1390 and consecrated in 1399. By 1417 the site was enclosed by a wall, forming a large complex between Schildergasse, Kreuzgasse and Streitzeuggasse, further enlarged in 1423 by a gift from Eduard of Jülich. Between 1429 and 1443 the goldsmith Peter Ketzgyn funded the decoration of the monastery's interior at his own expense and endowed two altars; further acquisitions followed, including a farm in the Ingendorfer Feld (1432) and houses on Streitzeuggasse (1486), with a new monastery wing completed in 1499.
The Rinck Family
In 1513 the patrician Hermann Rinck had a chapel built at the south end of the nave. That same year the goldsmith and merchant family of Adolf Rinck purchased two houses at Schildergasse 74–76 from the Crosier brother Hermann Kneyart, erecting there the splendid town house "zum goldenen Ring" with its great vaulted hall, which they made their family seat.
Timeline
- 1287First activities in Cologne; acquisition of St. Odilia's relics
- 1305First settlement: acquisition of a house at Waidmarkt
- 21. April 1307Archbishop permits settlement in Cologne
- 5. April 1309Takeover of the Hardefust property on Schildergasse
- 15. Mai 1311Papal confirmation by protective letter of Clement V
- 1358Acquisition of adjacent property for new church building
- 1399Consecration of the church built from the Barbara chapel
- 1499Completion of the magnificent monastery wing
Map
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-15
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