Abbot Tilmann of Johannisberg

Abbatiate 1442 - 1456 († 1456)

This abbot was a contemporary of Johannes Gutenberg, the Mainz-born inventor of movable type printing. Little is known about Abbot Tilmann's family and origins. He came from Johannisberg in the Rheingau. Even before his election as abbot, he held a very important monastic office. From 1439 he was bursar, a kind of financial administrator of the monastery. It was a very responsible office, as his duties not only included financial accounting, but also the administration of the monastery's property. For example, he was responsible for collecting taxes from the monastery's property. The oldest year-end accounts of Eberbach Monastery, which were drawn up between 1423 and 1537, have been partially preserved.

In 1442, Tilmann was elected successor to the late Abbot Nikolaus III. The invention of modern letterpress printing by Johannes Gutenberg took place during his time in office. From 1450, Gutenberg, who came from Mainz, used movable metal type, which made printing and thus the reproduction of books considerably easier and led to them becoming mass-produced items over time.

Abbot Tilmann died on July 7, 1456 and, like his predecessors, was buried in the chapter house of the monastery. His tomb slab shows a bas-relief depiction of the deceased in a religious habit with a staff and book.

Source: German Inscriptions Online (43, no. 213), Academy of Sciences Mainz

Image of the tomb: Michael Leukel

The funerary inscription in Gothic minuscule reads:

Ann[o domini m cccc / lvi] non[is iulii obiit reu]erendus in chr(ist)o pater et d(omi)n(u)s d(omi)n(u)s Thylmannus venerabilis abbas mon[asterii] / Eberbacensis Nonus decim(us) / Cuiu[s anima] requiescat in [san]cta pace Amen
In the year of our Lord 1456 on the Nones of July (July 7) died the venerable father in Christ and lord, Mr. Tilmann, revered 19th abbot of Eberbach Monastery, whose soul may rest in holy peace. Amen.

Tombstones

These are fascinating life stories that can be found carved in stone in Eberbach - and which are now being told with the help of a QR code project.

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