Otto of Schönburg on Wesel – Kloster Eberbach

Mainz Cathedral Scholaster (* 1324 - † 1381)

The ravages of time have gnawed away at this sandstone slab and rendered the figure of the deceased faceless. In this case, the damage and abrasions are mainly caused by the feet of worshippers, as the slab covered a grave directly in front of the altar of All Saints in the monastery church. Generations of worshippers have walked over it and worn away the relief more and more in the process. Just how elaborate and magnificent this slab once was can still be guessed from the framing with Gothic architecture. A full-length figure in a long robe and cloak can still be seen, holding a chalice in his hands - the symbol of a priest. His feet are carried by a small animal, perhaps a dog as a symbol of loyalty. This phenomenon, typical of the period, is otherwise very rare in Eberbach Monastery, but it can also be found on the tomb of Agnes of Scharfenstein, for example, which is otherwise similarly designed and also dates from 1381. The shields show the coat of arms of the father, Schönburg on Wesel, on the right side of the figure, and that of the mother, Steinkallenfels, on the left side of the figure. The surrounding inscription in Gothic minuscule names the deceased as the venerable Otto of Schönburg, a scholastic of the Mainz church.

The deceased was therefore a member of a widely ramified and influential Middle Rhine noble family, who entered the clergy as a later-born son. Born before 1324 as the son of the knight Friedrich of Schönburg and Agnes of Steinkallenfels, Otto went to study at the famous University of Bologna around 1344. Ten years later, he was back in Germany and became provost of the small monastery of St. Martin in his native Oberwesel. A short time later, he also became canon in Trier and Mainz, where he also received benefices at the Church of Our Lady and St. Stephan. From 1361, he also served as scholaster in the Mainz cathedral chapter, making him one of the highest dignitaries in the Mainz church.

The monks thanked him for his many donations to Eberbach Monastery (see Certificate in the Hessian Main State Archive) by recording him as “their loyal friend” in their community's book of souls. In doing so, they also pledged to perpetuate the memory of Otto and to pray for his salvation on the anniversary of his death. The cathedral scholaster presumably hoped that the Cistercians would provide a particularly lasting safeguard for the commemoration. The commemoration of this cleric's death was not limited to his burial place in Eberbach: a death shield with a coat of arms and inscription also hung in the Nikolaus Chapel of Mainz Cathedral, in a row with the death shields of numerous other canons of Mainz.

Picture: Certificate 1172 from fonds 22 of the Hessian Main State Archive

Source: German Inscriptions Online (43, no. 118), Academy of Sciences Mainz

Image of the tomb: Michael Leukel

Tombstones

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