Tombstone of Elizabeth of Wolgast in Bergen

Tombstone of Elizabeth of Wolgast in Bergen
Yearc. 1473
Dimensions237 × 124 cm
LocationSt. Mary's Church, Bergen auf Rügen

The Tombstone of Elizabeth of Wolgast in Bergen is a well-preserved limestone tombstone, dating to around 1473, measuring 237 cm in height and 124 cm in width. It is embedded in the eastern wall of the western church porch of the former Cistercian St. Mary's Church in Bergen auf Rügen on the island of Rügen in Germany. The tombstone features an engraved image of Elizabeth, daughter of Duke of Wolgast Wartislaw IX of the House of Griffin, who served as abbess of the Cistercian convent from at least 5 January 1460 until her death on 7 April 1473. The inscription, framed by a band, reads: "Anno d(omi)ni / m cccc • lxxiii • fe(r)ia • q(ua)rta • post • iudica • obiit / Jllust(ri)s • p(ri)nceps / et • do(min)a • d(omi)na • Elisabet • abbatissa i(n) berg(en) ora p(ro) ea", translating to: "In the year of our Lord 1473, on the Wednesday after Judica Sunday, died the illustrious princess and lady, Lady Elizabeth, abbess in Bergen, pray for her".

Description of the tombstone

The limestone tombstone of Abbess Elizabeth, dating to around 1473, was originally located in the chancel of the former Cistercian St. Mary's Church in Bergen auf Rügen on Rügen. In the 1890s, it was uncertain whether it marked her actual burial site, though this possibility was not ruled out. The tombstone was later moved, likely in 1896 or 1897, to the eastern wall of the western church porch, in its left section. Measuring 237 cm in height and 124 cm in width, the tombstone is well-preserved and follows a traditional design. It depicts the deceased abbess, daughter of Duke of Wolgast Wartislaw IX of the House of Griffin and Sophia, likely from the Saxon-Lauenburg dynasty,[1] dressed in a habit under a canopy (lacking a floral motif above the left shoulder). She holds a crozier, symbolizing her abbess authority, in her right hand and a girdle book in her left. Due to the period and material, the depiction lacks individualized features, presenting a typical representation.[2][3][4][5] Surrounding the figure is a 9.5 cm wide band inscribed with a Latin inscription in Gothic minuscule with corresponding majuscule letters, set between two stone moldings: "Anno d(omi)ni / m cccc • lxxiii • fe(r)ia • q(ua)rta • post • iudica • obiit / Jllust(ri)s • p(ri)nceps / et • do(min)a • d(omi)na • Elisabet • abbatissa i(n) berg(en) ora p(ro) ea", meaning "In the year of our Lord 1473, on the Wednesday after Judica Sunday, died the illustrious princess and lady, Lady Elizabeth, abbess in Bergen, pray for her". The inscription begins at the top left of the monument, with words separated by quadrangles. The corners of the depiction feature medallions with Evangelist symbols. The lower part of the inscription and depiction is partially worn.[6][7]

Characteristics of the inscription's script and reading issues

The inscription's long letters extend significantly beyond the central field. Notable features include the shape of majuscule A – pseudo-uncial with a thickened left diagonal line – and E, internally rounded with extended upper and lower serifs. The minuscule a varies graphically but is bipartite, r is reduced to an arc with a quadrangle above it, and x has a vertical left stroke. After the word d(omi)ni, a rhomboid cross is engraved. Following the word obiit in the second part of the inscription, three quadrangles appear. In do(min)a, the superscript a is represented by two quadrangles, as is the case in ora. The word pro is rendered as a special legal abbreviation (notae iuris). There is a possibility of reading q(ua)rta as q(u)i(n)ta, though this is less likely.[6]

Attempts at reading the inscription from the 18th to 20th centuries

In 1738, Johann David Fabarius interpreted the final part of the inscription as Bergensis oratorii Priorissa.[6][8] Due to significant wear in the lower part of the tombstone, the segment Jllust(ri)s • p(ri)nceps was interpreted variously.[6] Johann Jacob Grümbke's readings in his 1819 and 1833 publications (substituting the cross symbol with cruciati in the latter and incorrectly identifying the date of death as 8 April) rendered it as: i(n) monast(erio) p(ri)ncip(issa) et ducissa (despite reading do); he also interpreted the final part as orate pro ea.[6][9][10] The same transcription was provided by Julius Bentley Løffler in his 1873 article on the Bergen church, reiterated in 1879 by its German translator, Gottlieb von Rosen.[6][11][12] Alfred Haas accurately reproduced the inscription in his 1891 article and 1893 book, with the only differences being the transcription du(cissa) and an erroneous death date (8 April).[3][6][13] In 1897, Martin Wehrmann reiterated this reading but correctly identified the death date as 7 April.[6][14] Also in 1897, Ernst von Haselberg provided a new reading in his catalog of monuments in the Region of Stralsund. The first part of the inscription was rendered as Anno d(omi)ni †, and the lower part as i(n) m(o)n(a)s(terio) p(r)iori(ssa) et do(minarum), the latter being incorrect due to the dual terminology of priorissa and abbatissa. This publication also included the first drawing of the tombstone.[5][6][15] In his unattributed 1898 article, Martin Wehrmann endorsed Haselberg's reading as more credible.[5][6][16] The same reading was used in a popular album of Pomeranian monuments.[6][17] In 1924, Hermann Hoogeweg, in the first volume of his book on Pomeranian ecclesiastical institutions, deemed the lower part of the inscription too illegible and considered Grümbke's and Haas' readings superior to Haselberg's, while uniquely interpreting the phrase et do(mina).[6][15] In 1990, Maria Glińska mistakenly cited the first part of Haas' reading as pria grta instead of feia qrta.[2][3][6]

References

  1. ^ Rymar, Edward (2005). Rodowód książąt pomorskich [Genealogy of the Pomeranian Dukes] (in Polish) (2nd ed.). Szczecin: Książnica Pomorka im. Stanisława Staszica. pp. 376–377, 561. ISBN 8387879509.
  2. ^ a b Glińska, Maria (1990). "Książęce fundacje w zakresie rzeźby kamiennej" [Princely Foundations in the Field of Stone Sculpture]. Mecenat artystyczny książąt Pomorza Zachodniego. Materiały z sesji Oddziału Szczecińskiego Stowarzyszenia Historyków Sztuki w Zamku Królewskim w Warszawie 21–22 listopada 1986 r. [Artistic Patronage of the Dukes of Western Pomerania. Materials from the Session of the Szczecin Branch of the Association of Art Historians at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, 21–22 November 1986] (in Polish). Szczecin: Muzeum Narodowe. pp. 77, 94.
  3. ^ a b c Haas, Alfred (1891). "Mittelalterliche Grabsteine auf Rügen" [Medieval Tombstones on Rügen]. Monatsblätter herausgegeben von der Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Altethumskunde (in German). 5: 51.
  4. ^ Hannes, Hellmut (2012). "Bildnisse der pommerschen Herzoginnen" [Portraits of the Pomeranian Duchesses]. In Buske, Norbert; Krüger, Joachim; Werlich, Ralf-Gunnar (eds.). Die Herzöge von Pommern. Zeugnisse der Herrschaft des Greifenhauses [The Dukes of Pomerania. Testimonies of the Rule of the House of Griffin] (in German). Vienna; Köln; Weimar: Bohlau Verlag. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-3412207120.
  5. ^ a b c Haselberg, Ernst von (1897). Die Baudenkmäler des Regierungs-Bezirks Stralsund [The Architectural Monuments of the Stralsund Administrative District] (in German). pp. 275–276.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Zdrenka, Joachim (2002). Die Inschriften des Landkreises Rügen [The Inscriptions of the Rügen District] (in German). Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-3-05-003742-4.
  7. ^ Zdrenka, Joachim (2001). Inskrypcje na zabytkach Rugii do końca XVIII wieku [Inscriptions on Rügen Monuments Until the End of the 18th Century] (in Polish). Gdańsk: Officina Ferberiana. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-83-905486-6-1.
  8. ^ Fabarius, Johann David (1738). Nöthige Erläuterung des Alten und Neuen Rügens, betreffend die Praepositur Bergen und die darunter gehörige Parochien, mit einer Fortsetzung bis auf gegenwärtige Zeit aus glaubwürdigen Urkunden zusammen getragen [Necessary Explanation of Old and New Rügen, Concerning the Bergen Priory and Its Associated Parishes, with a Continuation to the Present Time Compiled from Credible Documents] (in German). p. 15.
  9. ^ Grümbke, Johann Jacob (1833). Gesammelte Nachrichten zur Geschichte des ehemaligen Cisterzienser Nonnenklosters Sct. Maria in Bergen auf der Insel Rügen [Collected Information on the History of the Former Cistercian Nunnery of St. Mary in Bergen on the Island of Rügen] (in German). p. 43.
  10. ^ Grümbke, Johann Jacob (1819). Neue und genaue geographisch-statistisch-historische Darstellungen von der Insel und dem Fürstenthume Rügen [New and Accurate Geographical-Statistical-Historical Descriptions of the Island and Principality of Rügen] (in German). Vol. 1. dei G. Reimer. p. 179.
  11. ^ Løffler, Julius Bentley (1873). "Bergen Klosterkirke paa Rygen, et Dansk Mindesmærke fra Valdemarernes Tid" [Bergen Monastery Church on Rügen, a Danish Monument from the Time of the Valdemars]. Aarbøger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie (in Danish): 351.
  12. ^ Löffler, Julius Bentley (1879). "Die Klosterkirche zu Bergen auf Rügen" [The Monastery Church in Bergen on Rügen]. Baltische Studien (in German). 29: 110.
  13. ^ Haas, Alfred (1893). Beiträge zur Geschichte der Stadt Bergen auf Rügen [Contributions to the History of the City of Bergen on Rügen] (in German). pp. 22–23.
  14. ^ Wehrmann, Martin (1897). "Pommersche Herzoginnen in Nonnenklöstern" [Pomeranian Duchesses in Nunneries]. Monatsblätter herausgegeben von der Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Altethumskunde (in German). 11: 56.
  15. ^ a b Hoogeweg, Hermann (1924). Die Stifter und Klöster der Provinz Pommern [The Founders and Monasteries of the Province of Pomerania] (in German). Vol. 1. p. 116.
  16. ^ Wehrmann, Martin (1898). "Herzogin Elisabeth, Aebtissin in Crummin und Bergen" [Duchess Elizabeth, Abbess in Crummin and Bergen]. Monatsblätter herausgegeben von der Gesellschaft für Pommersche Geschichte und Altethumskunde (in German). 12: 126–127.
  17. ^ Album Pommerscher Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler [Album of Pomeranian Architectural and Artistic Monuments] (in German). Stettin: Stettiner Neueste Nachrichten. 1899. p. 267.
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