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Abenberg

Aschaffenburg
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Aschaffenburg
     The Archbishop of Mainz in Franconia
Today's collegiate church on the time-honoured hill, which rises above the city of Aschaffenburg, was built in the centre of the Saint Peter and Alexander monastery in the 10th century. In 982 the archbishop of Mainz came into possession of Aschaffenburg. In the following years the archbishops also tried to bring the powerful and wealthy monastery under their control. The basilica itself kept its remarkable character as a Roman basilica all over the years, although the basilica underwent a lot of changes and extensions. The basilica is enclosing the former chapter building – a building, which is dated back to the foundation of the monastery in the 10th century. In the chapter building there is the wonderful Romanesque cloister built 1240 to 1245.
This magnificent cloister was the religious centre of the Saint Peter and Alexander monastery. In its heyday almost 40 friars lived and worked in the monastery.
Today the cloister is still used to celebrate processions at Easter. Also concerts and art exhibitions take place here. Since 1861 the chapter building is accommodating the museum of the monastery.
During the guided tours it is possible to have a look at the famous works of art – for example Matthias Gruenewald’s "Weeping over Christ”, the life-size Romanesque crucifix from the 10th century and the marvellous Renaissance bronze works of Hans Vischer – or the treasure-house of the monastery.

Local history of Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg area was already settled during the period of the migration of peoples.
At the beginning of the 4th century a larger settlement existed on the hill, where in later years the Saint Peter and Alexander monastery was founded.

At the beginning of the 8th century the chapel of Saint Kilian was consecrated in Nilkheim, which is a part of Aschaffenburg. The consecration inscription, from which unfortunately only a copy remains preserved, is one of the oldest and most famous handwriting documents on the right of the Rhine.

In the year 869 Liutgard, daughter of a Saxonian duke, married the Carolingian king Ludwig III in Aschaffenburg. The city’s oldest stone made church is dedicated to her.

In the middle of the 10th century the monastery Saint Peter and Alexander was found and in the following years especially Emperor Otto III granted a lot of privileges to the monastery.

In 982 the archmonastery of Mainz took possession of Aschaffenburg. And in 989 archbishop Willigis ordered the construction of the first wooden bridge across the River Main.

In the 12th century Aschaffenburg expands. The so-called "Oberstadt" (the monastery hill) becomes too small, and the so-called "Unterstadt" (the new part of the city around monastery hill) begins to develop starting with the construction of the Old Castle. In the following years Aschaffenburg received market law, the permission to mint coins, municipal law and an own municipal coat of arms.

In the Middle Ages Aschaffenburg develops to one of the most important bastions of the archdiocese of Mainz along the River Main. Aschaffenburg becomes administrative centre and important residence of the archbishops of Mainz.