Elisabeth of Rheinberg – Kloster Eberbach

(† before 1299)

The tomb slab of Elisabeth of Rheinberg, the oldest surviving one, marks the beginning of the long series of lay burials in Eberbach, which can be traced in an extraordinary density, especially in the 14th century. Both its trapezoidal shape and the form HIC JACET indicate the great age of the slab, which can be dated to the second half of the 13th century. In addition, it corresponds very closely to the statutes of the order, which initially only permitted plain grave slabs lying flat in the ground. The only decoration is the raised Rheinsberg coat of arms with the ten-spoked wheel.

The sources are silent on Elisabeth herself. Neither the year of her death nor her maiden name are known. She was married to Siegfried I of Rheinberg, hereditary ruler of the Electorate of Mainz. From 1226, the noble family of Rheinberg was named after Rheinberg Castle, situated between Wisper and Werkerbach, which they held in fief from the Archbishop of Mainz together with the Counts of the Rhine. Built before 1165, it was one of the most important Electorate of Mainz border castles in the Rheingau region. During the conflict between the archbishops of Mainz and rebellious ministerials, led by both Siegfried of Rheinberg and the Count of the Rhine, both were initially taken prisoner. When the castle was besieged again in 1280, it was lost and largely destroyed. Not long before his death in 1300, Siegfried founded St. Stephen's Chapel in St. John's Abbey in Mainz on May 29, 1299 for his own salvation and that of his deceased wife.

Source: German Inscriptions Online (43, No. 15), Academy of Sciences Mainz

Image of the tomb: Michael Leukel

The inscription in Gothic majuscule running around the edge of the tomb slab reads:

HIC - IACET - ELIZABETH - U[X]/OR - S[... / ...]ERI - DE - RINB(ER)G - CUIUS - A(N)I(M)A - REQUI/ESCAT - I(N) - PACE
Here lies Elisabeth, wife of S[iegfried] of Rheinberg, whose soul rests in peace

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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