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"In which are stored all the treasures of
Knowledge and Science"
Wiblingen, founded in 1093, underwent the same fate as all other
medieval monasteries in Germany, when it was radically remodeled in the 18th
century. The result was an architectural ensemble of impressive
dimensions in the baroque style. The abbey church, completed in
1781, is a rare example in Upper Swabia of neoclassical interior design,
seeking to re-create the formal idiom of the ancients. The
ceilings, painted by
Januarius Zick
, rank among the finest frescoes in
southern Germany. The library has been exceptionally well
preserved and is valued by art historians for the complex theological
and philosophical themes which underlie its wealth of figurative
ornament and its fresco ceiling.
Today the former abbey at Wiblingen is an imposing architectural
complex with a large inner forecourt. It's eleventh century consecration initiated a turbulent history with many waves of
destruction. A great fire in 1271 put an end to the first period
of prosperity for the abbey. Further havoc was wreaked during the
Peasant's War in 1536 and in the Thirty Years' War.
During the age of baroque art, a growing demand for status symbols
took hold of temporal and ecclesiastical overlords alike. Abbott
Modestus Huber (1692 -- 1729) decided to remodel the complex to plans
by Christian Wiedemann. The ambitious project was launched in
1714. The north wing containing the splendid library was
completed in 1740.
The Library
The inscription over the superb rococo portal at the end of the
corridor where the monastery's guest apartments were once located
prepares the visitor for the room beyond: "
In quo omnes thesauri
sapientiae et scientiae
" ("In which are stored all treasures of
knowledge and science.") By this door visitors enter the place in the
former Benedictine abbey of Wiblingen where contemporary knowledge was
presented: the magnificent library, already considered a site worth
seeing in the 18th century.
It is an impressive in elongated room with the original sumptuous
decorations. The scholarly iconography filled with theological
and philosophical references was implemented in 1744 by the painter
Franz Martin Kuen and sculptor Dominikus Hermenegild Herberger. A
gallery runs around with balustrades curving along the balcony.
Open bookshelves adorn the walls on both levels, and these are linked
by shielded spiral stairways. Human knowledge and divine wisdom
are glorified with an abundance of detail and quotation. Divine
wisdom is embodied in a female figure enthroned at the center of the
ceiling with angels around her.
Opulent imagery illustrates the classical Pagan and Christian sources of
western knowledge. The science of the classical and Christian
worlds are also symbolized. Sculpted figures represent monastic
virtues and secular learning. All the elements in this room --
used as a library but also for official receptions -- are linked by a web
of cross references. The visual program is astonishingly
sophisticated and also indicates the scholarly standards maintained by
the monks.
The Basilica of St. Martin
The Basilica of St. Martin was built between 1772 and 1783 and is an early but still colorful example of the shift from rococo self-indulgence towards the solemnity of neoclassicism. On the flattened domes are masterly, highly theatrical trompe l'oeil frescoes by
Januarius Zick
, with the foreshortened
Last Supper
and a cycle illustrating the
Legend of the Cross
. The basilica's towers were never built. Only twenty years after construction was finished the monastery and its properties were secularized.
 The Basilica of St. Martin, Wiblingen, an example of the shift from baroque to early neoclassicism
 The ceiling fresco in the Chapel of St. Sebastian
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Entrance to the Monastery's Library with the Latin motto quoted above
 History and Time
D.H. Herberger, 1744
On one side in the library of the monastery, there stands a superb baroque sculpture. It is the dual figure of history and time. In the foreground, sits Kronos (Chronos), the winged god. An old man with wreathed brow: his left hand grips a large book, his right-hand attempts to tear out a page. Behind and above, stands history himself. His gaze is grave and searching; one foot topples a horn of plenty from which spills a cascade of gold and silver, a sign of instability; the left-hand checks the act of the God, the wilful attempt to forget with the passage of time, while the right hand displays history's tools: the book, the inkpot, and the stylus.
 Diogenes and Alexander the Great
When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed philosopher who lived in a barrel, Diogenes replied: 'Only stand out of my light.'
Wiblingen and the Origin of the Ghibellines
It is thought that the names
Ghibelline
and
Guelph
originated in a contest for the imperial crown, between Conrad (Konrad) of Hohenstaufen, Duke of Swabia and Lord of Wiblingen, and Henry (Heinrich), nephew of Welf, Duke of Bavaria, in 1138. From Wiblingen is derived
Ghibelline
; from Welf is derived
Guelph
.
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