Ninth step 2024:
Abbey District of Fulda
Fulda
Theme: Roots
The ninth stop of our “journey” through some of the most important and historically significant abbeys in Europe took us on July 9, in the height of summer, to the town of Fulda, Germany. This destination was almost obligatory, considering that at its center, where the imposing structure of the Cathedral now stands, was the ancient abbey founded in the mid-8th century by St. Sturm, a disciple of St. Boniface. As fundamental for the cultural, humanistic, and spiritual roots of our continent as the monastic complex of St. Gall in Switzerland, the Abbey of Fulda and its connected principality were dissolved after over a thousand years in the early 1800s.
The Duomo del Santissimo Salvatore is a Baroque building modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Its history begins between 791 and 819, when the original basilica dedicated to the Savior was constructed: the largest ever erected north of the Alps at that time.
In the 1700s, the Prince Abbot entrusted architect Giovanni Dientzenhofer with the reconstruction of the dilapidated Carolingian basilica, while still incorporating parts of the 8th-century walls into the new design. Since the architect had just returned from Rome, St. Peter became his primary source of inspiration.
Among other things, the Cathedral houses the shrine containing the body of St. Boniface, the “Apostle of the Germans”, whose relics are greatly venerated in Fulda, and it can be said that the entire city revolves around his name. A mighty bronze statue of the Saint, holding the crucifix, is located near the Castle, and even the traffic lights shine with his stylized silhouette.
It is no coincidence that the chosen word for this stop was “roots”.
The day began with a visit to the Hortulus of Walahfrid Strabo (808/809 – 849), recreated by the Benedictine sisters within the Abbey of Santa Maria, a monastic complex founded in 1626 and also located in the heart of Fulda. The exceptional guide was Sister Christa Weinrich, an agronomist and author of numerous publications, who recreated the Hortulus according to Strabo’s principles. One of Sister Christa’s foundational philosophies is that plants grown near one another influence each other: a botanical premise applied here at Santa Maria.
Living during the Carolingian era, Strabo was educated at the Abbey of Fulda – where he was a student of Rabano Mauro – and is the author of the “Liber De Cultura Hortorum”, where he describes ornamental, medicinal, and food plants cultivated in the monastic garden, citing not only the mythological references derived from classical antiquity but also the therapeutic qualities of each plant. In the manuscript, Walahfrid recounts his little garden situated in front of the convent cell, detailing the plants, describing their different qualities, and narrating not only his struggles as a gardener but also the joys that the monastic environment brings and the regained sense of reconciliation with the natural world. It is precisely this Hortulus, described in detail by Strabo, that Sister Christa has reassembled in a specially dedicated section of the Santa Maria garden. Nearby, there is an “Insektenhotel”, a special wooden “house” with various compartments that hosts beneficial insects for the production of herbs and vegetables.
After visiting the Abbey of Santa Maria, the “In cammino” delegation reached the Cathedral, where they paused for a brief visit.
As planned, at 11 a.m., the conference dedicated to the “Liber De Cultura Hortorum” and the figure of Strabo began in the Auditorium Maximum of the Theological Faculty, exploring Strabo’s different roles as a writer, poet, horticulturist, and medieval glossator, as well as monk and abbot.
The proceedings were opened with a welcome from President Livia Pomodoro, holder of the UNESCO Chair “Food Systems for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion” at the State University of Milan, who reiterated that one of the goals of “In cammino” is to gain direct knowledge and engage in dialogue with the various historical, cultural, economic, and religious realities of the European countries touched by our three-year “journey”. It is important to be here in Fulda: “A city where, despite its material disappearance, the spiritual breath emanating from the great Abbey can still be felt, which has seen the presence of Walahfrid Strabo and Rabano Mauro within its walls, managing to keep their teachings alive and pass them down through the centuries. This knowledge, like that of the Abbey of St. Gall on Lake Constance, a city we visited in November 2023, is still today the foundation of European humanistic culture”. In concluding her speech, the President made a strong call for peace and the “ceasefire of the crackling of arms” in Europe and everywhere in the world, peace that arises from the dismantling of barriers, mutual knowledge, and dialogue.
The institutional greetings were then delivered by Massimo Darchini, the General Consul of Italy in Frankfurt, who conveyed the regards of the Italian Ambassador to Berlin, H. E. Armando Varricchio; by Prof. Dr. Cornelius Roth – Rector of the Faculty of Theology in Fulda – who also brought greetings from the Bishop of Fulda, H. E. Monsignor Michael Gerber, who was unable to attend due to diocesan commitments; and by Dr. Thomas Heiler, Magistrat der Stadt Fulda – Magistrate of the City of Fulda, who conveyed greetings from the Mayor, Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld.
The floor was then taken by Dr. Alessandra Sorbello Staub, Bibliotheksdirektorin Theologische Fakultät – Director of the Theological Faculty Library in Fulda, who, welcoming the Italian delegation, recalled how the Theological Library is linked to the name and works of Walahfrid Strabo and Rabano Mauro, unique for their antiquity and the historical knowledge they contain. She also focused on the structure of the Seminary, “the largest Baroque building erected in Fulda by Prince Abbot von Gravenegg in the 1660s”, which, with its three large wings, forms the vast courtyard of the cloister right behind the Duomo. The main entrance of the Library opens onto a delightful garden situated alongside the Cathedral.
Next was Dr. Gereon Becht-Jördens, a historian, philologist, and scientific director of the Bibliotheca Fuldensis Institute, who is a great expert on Strabo’s work.
“The term sustainability has a history that dates back to the late 18th century, linked to Goethe’s novel ‘Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship’ published in 1795, where initially ‘sustainable’ meant nothing more than ‘durable’ or ‘resistant’ – the professor began – In Fulda, during the Carolingian era, under the master and abbot Rabanus Maurus, one of the most important poets of the time, the monk and later abbot Walahfrid Strabo of the monastery of Reichenau was formed, founded exactly 1300 years ago in 724 on an island in Lake Constance. His most famous work is the Hortulus, actually ‘On the Cultivation of the Garden’, a didactic poem about horticulture… The title of Walahfrid’s poem about the garden initially creates the expectation that it is a didactic poem about horticultural work and overcoming the problems that arise in this field of activity. The second chapter indeed begins with the banishment of winter and the arrival of spring, which, with its gentle and mild west wind, makes new life possible and announces the start of the growing season in nature and the garden… Just like in Virgil’s ‘Georgics’, the classical model of a didactic poem about agriculture, one expects the work to be described as the year progresses. However, the journey through the gardening year is not continuous. The following twenty-three chapters are each dedicated to a garden plant, and instead of a chronological sequence, there is a spatial sequence resulting from the arrangement of the individual plants. The poet thus invites readers to take an imaginary walk through his garden… The beauty and usefulness are praised, although it is not an ideal garden, but rather, at least according to the fiction, a real garden, cultivated solely by the lyrical self: the poet-monk Walahfrid Strabo…”.
The conference concluded with a presentation by Claudio Serafini, Director of Organic Cities Network Europe.
“In this splendid Library, which has been a place of spirituality, knowledge transmission, and research for centuries – Serafini stated – Goethe is the inspiration I chose to connect today’s ‘In cammino – Abbeys of Europe’ project with the city of Fulda. The motto chosen by President Livia Pomodoro for the project is indeed a quotation from Goethe: ‘Europe was born on pilgrimage’… The common thread of my speech consists of interpreting the term culture, which appears in the title of today’s conference, De cultura hortorum, with the word care. I also speak of the subtitle of the conference: From Strabo to the Present Day. I have reformulated it radically: Strabo and Paolo Pejrone, the latter being one of the greatest contemporary garden architects, who, like Strabo, has always worked the land. Finally, I will exemplify, with brief notes and quotations, the De cultura hortorum experiences of three European cities: Paris, Florence, and Vienna, which care for agriculture, urban gardens, and urban parks, protecting the climate and biodiversity of natural resources such as water and soil”.
In the afternoon, at 4 p.m., the “In cammino” team arrived at the Franciscan convent on Frauenberg. From the hilltop of Kloster Frauenberg, one can fully enjoy the panorama of Fulda. The convent, a key site of Fulda’s spirituality, is now a conference center with a restaurant, a bar, and guest accommodations managed by associations and social cooperatives. Here, in the Refectory Hall, a dialogue on spirituality took place between Father Guardian Cornelius Bohl ofm and journalist Hermann Diel.
“I am a priest and a Franciscan – explained Father Cornelius – and I was also born in Fulda, so these two things have gone hand in hand. Indeed, our city has a very strong Catholic tradition… Here, the Franciscans have always been highly appreciated… We generally have the same problems that the Church faces in other parts of the world, such as the crisis of vocations and the decline in the number of faithful”.
When Diel asked: “What does being a Franciscan mean today?” this was the response:
“Some may consider me a bit ‘exotic.’ Others on the street ask me: but are you authentic? Are you a true Franciscan? And then they ask: what role do Franciscans have today?… Many seek a dialogue, both superficial and profound. Coming here to Frauenberg is like climbing a small mountain. Recently, we welcomed a group of young people who arrived by bus from near Frankfurt: two hours and twenty minutes of travel to understand the life that is lived in a monastery, since there are none in their area… Here, we have created hospitality and work: there is a bakery, a tailor shop, and an inclusive project that employs over a hundred people, many of whom have disabilities. This is life at Frauenberg”.
The day of July 9 concluded with a concert organized in the splendid Fürstensaal (Hall of the Princes) of the Castle, the baroque residence of the prince abbots.
The opening featured a performance by students from the Musikschule der Stadt Fulda, with a repertoire ranging from classical music to pieces by Cardoso and Piazzolla. Piano, guitar, saxophone, clarinet, and a lot of virtuosity from these young performers who played before a packed audience.
Following this was the show “You Yourself Are a Garden” dedicated to the poetic and musical compositions of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. The recital by Simonetta Solder was accompanied by the ensemble VocaMe: a performance based on lyrics and music from the 12th century composed by Saint Hildegard.
Thus, the ninth event in Fulda came to a close. Awaiting, still in July, is the tenth stop at the Abbey of Santa Maria in Follina, Treviso!
View full videos of each stage on the channel YouTube In Cammino
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