Thanks to her inheritance, Clara was able to dispose of a large fortune, which was further increased by the childless deaths of her brothers. She used the money in particular for the benefit of Eberbach Monastery, to which she made various donations over the decades: in addition to payments, these included properties in Guntersblum, Nierstein, Friesenheim, Undenheim, Nordolfsheim, Lorch, Ingelheim and Heimbach.
Before her death in 1351, she donated an annual supply of grain, wine and money for the celebration of her annual memorial. In return, she was given a burial place in front of the Holy Trinity altar in the monastery church. Her grave was covered with this slab of red sandstone, which was designed by the monastery community with a relief, coat of arms and inscription. The words of the inscription, which is somewhat cramped for reasons of space, reveal the gratitude of the monks, who referred to the „virgin“ Clara as „our most faithful mother“. A very similar inscription can be found on the tomb slab for Adelheid from Schöneck, who died a few years earlier and who probably also lived as a beguine.
Source: German Inscriptions Online (43, No. 77), Academy of Sciences Mainz
Image of the tomb: Michael Leukel
The epitaph reads:
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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.