| |
Roman
Catholic Abbots and Abbesses
The heads of Roman Catholic monastic bodies are responsible
for the spiritual and temporal well-being of their communities,
and they play a vital role in the life of the Church. The
earliest types of abbots were leaders of small communities
of monks and nuns who lived in the desert regions of Egypt
and Syria in the 4th century AD. These communities were dedicated
to prayer, fasting, and study, and they played an important
role in the development of early Christian spirituality. As
Christianity spread throughout Europe, monasticism also
spread.
Monasteries were established in all parts of the continent,
and abbots and abbesses became important figures in both the
religious and secular spheres. Many were advisors to kings
and queens, and they played a leading role in the evangelisation
of new peoples. They continued to play an important role in
the Church and in society throughout the Middle Ages. Monasteries
were centres of learning and culture, and their leaders were
often patrons of the arts and sciences. Monasteries also played
an important role in providing social services, such as care
for the sick and the poor. In the 16th century, the Protestant
Reformation led to the closure of many monasteries in Europe.
However, monasticism continued to thrive in Catholic countries,
and abbots and abbesses remained important figures in the
Church. Today, there are over 1,000 Benedictine abbeys and
monasteries in the world, and there are also many other monastic
orders.
|
Abbeys
and Monasteries |
| Name |
Tenure |
|
| Belgium |
| Orval
Abbey, Abbots of (Villers-devant-Orval,
Florenville, Wallonia) |
63rd
|
Lode
Van Heck, Bp of Ghent
|
2007–;
*1950
|
•••• |
|
| England |
|
| Glastonbury
Abbey, Abbots of (Somerset) |
| ►Founded
c. 601
|
| ►Destroyed
1184 - rebuilt
|
| ►To
Diocese of Bath and Glastonbury 1192 - disputed
|
| ►Regained
independence 1242
|
Richard
Whiting
|
1525–39†
|
•••• |
| ►Abolished
1539
|
|
| |
|
| Germany |
Cronschwitz
Monastery, Abbesses of (Thuringia) |
|
†1550
|
Weida
(1370) |
Gernrode
Abbey, Abbesses of (Harz, Saxony-Anhalt) |
|
†1548
|
Weida
(1370) |
Polling
Abbey, Provosts of (Upper
Bavaria) |
|
1744–96† |
•••• |
|
| |
|
Spain |
|
Parraces, Abbots of (Segovia, Castile
and Leon) |
|
†1524
|
Fonseca (2571) |
|
Rueda Abbey, Abbots and Abbesses of
(Zaragoza, Aragon) |
|
1300s
|
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1300s
|
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1400s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1400s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1500s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1600s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1600s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1600s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1600s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
1600s |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
†1634 |
Lopez
de Rueda (4030) |
|
San Isidoro de Leon, Abbots of (Castile
and Leon) |
|
†1524
|
Fonseca (2571) |
|
Santa Maria de Marcilla Monastery, Abbesses of
(Navarra) |
|
1376
|
Gramont (1980) |
| Santo
Sepulcro de Toro (Zamora, Castile and
Leon) |
|
1400s
|
Fonseca (2571) |
|
San Zoilo de Carrion, Abbots of (Palencia,
Castile and Leon) |
|
†1524
|
Fonseca (2571) |
| Valladolid,
Abbots of (Castilla y León) |
|
1413;
†1422 |
Fonseca (2571) |
|
†1473 |
Fonseca (2571) |
|
Switzerland |
| Saint-Maurice
d'Agaune Abbey, Abbots
of (Valais) |
|
1050–54† |
Savoy
(254) |
|
1057;
†1068 |
Savoy
(254) |
|
1067–68?;
†1068 |
Savoy
(254) |
|
–1116;
†1148 |
Savoy
(254) |
Saint-Maurice
d'Agaune, Provosts of
(Valais) |
|
1002–>c.
1014; †1025 |
(254) |
|
1022?;
†1068 |
Savoy
(254) |
|
1031;
†1068
|
Savoy
(254) |
|
|
1046;
†1054 |
Savoy
(254) |
|
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Catholicism
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