Essen Abbey (Stift Essen) was a collegiate foundation for women of the high nobility in Essen. It was founded in about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid (died 874), later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, near a royal estate called Astnidhi, which later gave its name to the religious house and to the town. The first abbess was Altfrid's kinswoman Gerswit.
Read more about Essen Abbey: History, List of The Abbesses, Later Princess-Abbesses, of Essen, Burials
Famous quotes containing the word abbey:
“The Abbey always reminds me of that old toast, “Above lofty timbers, the walls around are bare, echoing to our laughter, as though the dead were there.””
—Garrett Fort (1900–1945)