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{{Short description|Former monastery in Bavaria, Germany}}
{{Infobox monastery
| name = Grünau Charterhouse<br> ''Kartause Grünau''
| image = Kartause Grünau with fish pond.JPG
| caption = Kartause Grünau with fish pond and main building (now a restaurant)
| order = [[Carthusian]]
| founder = Elisabeth von Hohenlohe
| established = 1328
| disestablished = 1803
| mother =
| diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Würzburg|Würzburg]]
| churches =
| people =
| heritage_designation = listed monument
| location = Schollbrunn, Bavaria, Germany
| coordinates = {{coord|49.8178|N|9.4744|E|region:DE-Y_type:landmark_source:dewiki|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = Germany
| remains = prior's lodging, church, perimeter wall
| public_access = yes (limited)
}}

'''Grünau Charterhouse''' (German: ''Kloster'' or ''Kartause Grünau'') is a former [[Carthusian]] monastery, or charterhouse, in [[Schollbrunn]] in [[Bavaria]], [[Germany]]. It was the first Carthusian monastery in Franconia and in today's Bavaria.

==Geography==
The charterhouse is located in the valley of the {{Interlanguage link multi|Kropfbach (Haslochbach)|de|3=Kropfbach (Haslochbach)|lt=Kropfbach}}, a tributary of the [[Haslochbach]]. It is surrounded by the wooded hills of the [[Spessart]].

It lies in the municipal territory of [[Schollbrunn]], part of the [[Main-Spessart]] district of Bavaria.

== History ==
[[File:Kartause Grünau, old buildings.JPG|thumb|left|Ruined buildings of the former Carthusian monastery]]

In 1216, a chapel was consecrated in the Kropfbachtal, dedicated to the [[Blessed Virgin Mary]], [[Saint Lawrence]] and [[Saint Nicholas]]. In the early 14th century, this chapel became the destination of pilgrims. At the chapel's location, Elisabeth von Hohenlohe, daughter of the [[County of Wertheim|Count of Wertheim]], donated a ''Kartause'' or charterhouse in 1328. In 1333, Carthusians from [[Mainz]], led by the first prior Heinrich Spiegel, settled here, making this the order's first monastery in Franconia and in what is modern-day Bavaria.<ref name="KiB">{{cite web|url=http://www.hdbg.eu/kloster/web/index.php/detail/geschichte?id=KS0126|title=Klöster in Bayern: Grünau - Geschichte (German)|publisher=Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte|last=Schütz|first=Markus|accessdate=10 September 2015}}</ref>

The initial ''Kartause'' was replaced in the early 15th century by a larger building, housing up to 24 monks. In 1446, a new church for the monastery was consecrated. The Counts of Wertheim were the ''[[Vogt|Vögte]]'' of the monastery and its church served as their burial place. It is possible that monks from Grünau settled at the charterhouses at [[Erfurt]] and [[Koblenz]] in the 14th century.<ref name="KiB"/>

A [[Canonical visitation]] in 1523 discovered a state of affairs that led to the temporary dismissal of prior Michael Lemlein. During the [[German Peasants' War]], the monastery was sacked by peasants in 1525. That year, Count Georg von Wertheim joined the [[Reformation]], and thus the monastery's ''Vogt'' now was a Lutheran. In 1545, the Wertheim family took over administration of the monastery's lands. The last three monks left Grünau in 1557.<ref name="KiB"/>

However, the order fought a prolonged legal battle against the counts at the ''Reichskammergericht'' and the ''Hofkammergericht'' for restitution of the ''Kartause''. An Imperial edict of 1629 restored property to Catholic owners and Grünau returned to the order. Only two years later, they had to flee from Swedish troops during the chaos of the [[Thirty Years' War]]. In 1635, Count Johann Dietrich von Löwenstein-Wertheim restored the buildings and half the original land. Four monks settled there.<ref name="KiB"/>

The monastery was dissolved in 1803 in the [[German mediatisation|secularisation of Bavaria]] and the property fell to the Counts of {{Interlanguage link multi|Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg|de}}. The monastery, which had been rebuilt in the early 18th century by the monks, was turned into a ''Hofgut'', an estate owned by the Counts, in 1820.<ref name="KiB"/>

==Today==
All that remains of the monastic structures is the prior's lodging, now used for guests, the ruins of the church and the perimeter wall with its archway.<ref name="KiB"/>

The buildings today house a restaurant and are private property. During business hours, the external areas are mostly accessible to the public.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Albert, Alfons: ''Die Geschichte der Kartause Grünau'', Würzburg 1964
* Backmund, Norbert: ''Die kleineren Orden in Bayern und ihre Klöster bis zur Säkularisation'', Windberg 1974, p. 64-65
* Hogg, James: ''Die Kartause Grünau'', in: Michael Koller (ed.): ''Kartäuser in Franken'' (Kirche, Kunst und Kultur in Franken Bd. 5), Würzburg 1996, p. 79-94
* Link, Georg: ''Klosterbuch der Diözese Würzburg'' Bd. 2, Würzburg 1876, p. 288-291
* Rommel, Gustav: ''Geschichte der ehemaligen Kartause Grünau im Spessart'' ( zugl. Jahrbuch des historischen Vereins Alt-Wertheim 1932), Wertheim 1932
* Schneider, Erich: ''Klöster und Stifte in Mainfranken'', Würzburg 1993, p. 37-38

==External links ==
* [http://www.kartause-gruenau.de/ Restaurant website]



{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grunau Charterhouse}}
[[Category:Monasteries in Bavaria]]
[[Category:Carthusian monasteries in Germany]]
[[Category:1328 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1803 disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Main-Spessart]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lower Franconia]]
[[Category:Spessart]]

Grünau Charterhouse - Revision history

imported>LunafreyaLaphicet: Added short description