Monastery gardens – a theological view

Michaelstein monastery garden

It is quite common that monastery gardens feature references to the Bible, Christian faith and theology. They range from the biblical paradise and the Garden of Eden to the tomb of Jesus, which was located in a garden. Religious beliefs such as the hope of life after death are expressed, for example, in the use of a monastic orchard as a cemetery, a place of death that yields fruit. Today, monasteries are attractive destinations for a day trip and recreational resorts. Visitors can rediscover biblical and theological motifs in their gardens and experience some of the monastic culture of the past and present.

The garden as a biblical motif

Monastery gardens reflect biblical garden motifs in a multitude of different ways. Some of the gardens mentioned in the Old and New Testaments can be found in today’s monastery complexes. These gardens include those for growing fruits and vegetables, forest gardens, gardens for representative purposes, for growing wine and also for burying the death. It’s not a coincidence that garden types in the Bible have much in common with those found at monasteries. The ideal monastery garden imbibes the symbolic and metaphorical meaning that is mentioned in the Bible.

Yearning for a state of paradise

The Old Testament begins with what is certainly the most famous biblical garden: the Garden of Eden, which is identified with Paradise. Genesis Book 3 tells us how Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise. As a symbol of the first humans, Adam and Eve ate the fruit of a forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. So, God drove them out of Paradise. In this biblical story, the humans depart from God and lose their intimacy with God. At the same time, they become responsible for themselves and win freedom over their lives. This freedom, however, is not free from toil and pain (Gen. 3:16-19). Thus, the longing for the Garden of Eden is the longing of mankind which is free but distant from God (cf. Metzdorf 2017; Riede 2011; Waschke 2007; Allison Jr. 2014). This longing is not associated with a pious wish to ‘return’ to the faultless, paradisal state of Eden. Eden rather remains a “metaphor for mankind’s lost origin and its longing to retrieve it” (Waschke 2007, p. 18). Monastery gardens explore the story of the lost paradise and the freedom of man – e.g., through sculptures, words and the design of the garden.

The garden tomb as a reference to the Kingdom of God

Another garden motif can be found in the New Testament. It is particularly the Gospel of St. John where gardens become settings for the Passion and Easter narratives, as they display Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. According to this Gospel, the Garden of Gethsemane is the place where He used to spend time with his disciples and where He was seized by soldiers after Judas had betrayed him (John 18:1-3, 18:12). After Jesus had died on the cross, his body was laid in a tomb in a garden (John 19:41). This too has symbolic meaning, for in Old Testament texts only kings are buried in the garden (2 Kings 21:18, 21:26). John the Evangelist thus alludes to Jesus’ title of king (John 18:19-40; 19:1-21): Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God (cf. Allison Jr. 2014). This distinctive funerary symbolism is also continued within monastery cemeteries.

Monastery cemeteries and the Christian message of resurrection

Bronnbach monastery garten

The resurrection of Jesus is a central part of the religious faith that is celebrated by Christians every year at Easter. The theological motifs of death and resurrection associated therewith are also reflected by monastery cemeteries.

Evidence can already be found in the Plan of Saint Gall, which was written in the Early Middle Ages (around 820) and described a dual function of the cemetery as a garden for growing fruits and as a burial ground (Schedl 2014, pp. 41-42). This dual use points to a “deep symbolic connection” (Hennebo 1987, p. 29), as can be seen from the notation on the monastery plan: “Among the trees always the most sacred of the soil is the Cross / On which the fruits of eternal health are fragrant. / Around let lie the dead bodies of the brothers / And through its radiance they may attain the realm of heaven” (cited from The Garden Trust: “The perfect monastic garden?”, 2019, https://thegardenstrust.blog/2019/08/31/the-perfect-monastic-garden/ – and for the German original: Schedl 2014, p. 134). For this reason, a cross stands in the middle of the cemetery. It “points to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his act of redemption” (Schwillus 2017, p. 384). The ‘fragrant fruits of eternal health’ mentioned in the inscription remind us of the fruits in the Garden of Eden. According to Christian conviction, Jesus is also called the ‘new Adam’. The place where Jesus dies on the cross is called Golgotha (cf. Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17). In Christian tradition, Golgotha is the grave of Adam, the first human being. The cross on Adam’s tomb indicates that the ‘old’ Adam, who was driven out of paradise, will be redeemed by the ‘new’ Adam.

The tombs of monks (and nuns) placed around the cross on the monastery cemetery is a symbolic expression of the bond with God. This symbolism is further emphasised in the design of some monastery complexes, as can be seen at the Marienau Charterhouse, a hermitage, where the cemetery is prominently located in the centre of the large cloister, through which the monks perambulate several times a day.

Gardens in monasteries and in the Bible

Fruit garden: Gen. 2-3
Garden of vegetables: Deut. 11:10; 1 Kings 21:2
Forest garden/forest: Isa. 29:17; 32:15
Representative garden: 2 Kings 21:18, 26; 2 Kings 25:4; Neh. 3:15; Esth. 1:5
Vineyards: Judg. 15:5; Jer. 31:5
Burial garden/cemetery: 2 Kings 21:18, 26; John 19:41

Gardens in monasteries – theological perspectives on using the garden

The traditions of Christian orders often include a theological interpretation of their gardens. It is not uncommon in the tradition of Christian orders that their monastery gardens are also seen from a theological perspective. The origins lie in the word ‘garden’ itself which is going back to Indo-European ‘ghortos’ = ‘enclosed pasture field’, and similar in Old High German ‘gart’ = ‘enclosure’, Old English ‘geard’ = ‘fence, enclosure, dwelling, home’, and Latin ‘hortus’ = ‘garden’ [cf. Merriam Webster etymological explanations regarding the word ‘garden/yard’]. This relates to the monastic way of life because for many religious orders, the monastery is exactly this enclosed place as it protects its inhabitants from the surrounding world. And, last but not least, it evokes memories of the Garden of Eden.

Practice humility and appreciate creation – looking at the work of gardening

Developing exemplary character traits, which are described in the relevant rules of an order, constitutes a fundamental feature of life in a monastery. The most common monastic rule of the Occident is the Rule of Saint Benedict (also known as the Regula Benedicti, or RB for short). It describes humility as an essential personal quality that is to be preserved in all circumstances of everyday monastic life: “at the Work of God, in the oratory, the monastery or the garden, on a journey or in the field, or anywhere else. Whether he sits, walks or stands, his head [the monk’s] must be bowed and his eyes cast down.” (RB, Chapter 7:63 https://saintjohnsabbey.org/rule; and in the Statutes of the Carthusian Order, Statute 5, paragraph 3; https://chartreux.org/moines/en/statutes/book-1/#c5). It goes without saying that such humble behaviour has to be put in practice. For this purpose, the garden is the most suitable place. It needs to be looked after in both good and bad weather. Sometimes, it also requires a lot of patience to raise and grow the plants. In this respect, gardening can ‘teach’ humility before Creation and the Creator.

Francis of Assisi (1181/82 – 1226) even recommended to always leave one part of the garden unused in order to give God’s Creation room for wild herbs and plants that are not manipulated by human intervention (Freyer 2009, p. 390). In this context, he refers to a passage in the Bible that is often cited: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).

Today’s monastery gardens have found various practical solutions of implementing the responsibility to till and to keep the garden (Gen. 2:15). They prefer natural, regenerative resources, use biologically harmless cultivation and fertilisation methods and take local sustainability into consideration. Creation is, in Christian terms, “not only a gift, but a task” (Gruber 2018, 118). This can be an element of a theology of the monastery garden, which, in ideal circumstances, is continued until today. An outstanding example is the ecological horticulture practised and further developed since the 1950s by the Benedictine nuns of Fulda Abbey (cf. Weinrich 1994; 2017; www.abtei-fulda.de/gartenbau).

The garden as a place for inner reflection and contemplation

Another facet of the monastery garden are its meditative-contemplative elements, as we can find them, for example, in the landscape gardens of the Society of the Divine Word, a congregation founded by Arnold Janssen (1837–1909) in the Dutch village Steyl in 1875 [cf. https://www.steyl.org/english/]. The Steyl Convent Gardens are also known for the various grottoes that were built in these large gardens and that feature numerous statues replicating biblical scenes, depicting Jesus and Mary in most cases (Nordmann 2010, p. 43). They are accompanied by suitable inscriptions which invite us to silent devotions and reflection. Another dominant element found in all early settlements of the missionaries of Steyl is the so-called ‘Sacred Heart Mound’. It is the “centrepiece of the park and Jannsen’s entire theological conception” (Nordmann 2010, p. 68). These mounds are made by heaping up earth and by planting shrubs in different shades of green on them. They are trimmed in such a way that they form the shape of a cross. These mounds of the Sacred Heart are a reminder of the Christian message of God’s love for mankind. (For more information in English visit: https://www.eghn.org/en/steyl-convent-gardens-and-jochumhof-botanical-garden/#1452099273655-c8f42da9-0be7)

Neuzelle monastery garden (Picture: Stiftung Stift Neuzelle)

However, there are also quite different forms of monastery gardens to find contemplation. In the Cistercian monastery of Helfta, for example, visitors can walk through a maze of plants (www.lebendiges-labyrinth.de). It is as much a place of rest and recreation as it is a place of conversation and of silence and inner contemplation. Designed in the shape of a heart and planted with medicinal herbs, it also symbolically refers to the love of God.

Peace and recreation in the garden

Neuzelle monastery garden (Picture: Andreas Tauber)

The garden is always a place of piece and recreation. In his book ‘De vegatabilibus’, the Dominican Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) describes a so-called ‘pleasure garden’, designed in particular for recreation and quiet lingering. The grass benches mentioned by Albertus Magnus demonstrate these aspects. They are like seats made of earth and planted with grass and flowers and supported by stones or planks (cf. Hennebo 1987, p. 40) Just sitting for no particular reason and relishing the environment as well as strolling through the garden all become essential for recreation and inner reflection.

It is reported that the founder of the Steyl missionaries “[…] liked to lie down in a meadow or under a tree in the forest and […] enjoy the view of the mountains or the shape of the clouds”. (Nordmann 2010, 97-98). The Carthusians, an order oriented towards the ideal of a hermit’s life, also emphasise the recreational character of the garden.

In the monastery, each cell situated along the cloister is provided with its own garden, which the monk or nun can “arrange as he or she pleases to grow flowers or vegetables” (Blum 1983, p. 30; cf. also Statutes 3:3). Monastic garden traditions are also maintained in Protestant women’s monasteries and convents (cf. Formann 2006), where it is not uncommon for each conventual to have her own garden for food supply and as a place for rest and relaxation.

Secular plant and garden symbolism in Christian artistic interpretation

Theological considerations in the design of monastery gardens can even become visible in the choice of certain plants. The rose, for example, is generally interpreted as a symbol of Christ’s suffering and the lily as a reference to Mary’s virginity (cf. Schwillus 2014; Preißler 2010, p. 20; Thoms 2005, p. 22; Mortell 2008, p. 206). Such theological interpretations can also refer to the entire garden. The biblical Song of Songs (Song of Sg. 4:12-15) describes the garden as a metaphor of the bride (“A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed.” Song of Sg. 4:12). In the Christian world, this ‘bride’ is usually understood to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is depicted in a closed garden (hortus conclusus) in Christian works of art that follow this interpretation (cf. Schwillus 2014). From another viewpoint, the bride also symbolises all people of faith, in other words, the church, the church community or even the monastic community. This interpretation expresses the bond of the faithful with Christ, who can be described as the bridegroom by this metaphor.

But it is not only the biblical stories that are (re)interpreted. The Baroque gardens of the 17th and 18th century followed the trend to use ancient, mythological themes for decorative purposes. This applies also to the representative monastery gardens of that time.

For example, the Cistercian monastery in Henryków (Poland) hosts four statues that were largely preserved and represent the ancient (male) deities Vulcan, Pluto, Neptune and Jupiter. They symbolise the four elements: fire, earth, water and air. In a monastery garden, these deities epitomise “the mighty power of God who rules over the elements, which are expressions of his power, his wrath and his love” (Nowak 1999, p. 91). Baroque monastery gardens thus correspond to the need for representation and the intellectual-philosophical expectations of their time.

This means that monastery gardens are culturally significant places of garden architecture and art. Their layout and the choice of certain plants and sculptures reveal a theological consciousness that is embedded in the Zeitgeist. Therefore, monastery gardens can also be understood as enculturated theologies (cf. Schwillus 2007): With their motifs, pictures, sculptures and plants, the designs of monastery gardens visualise theological beliefs as part of the monastic culture.

Autor: Markus Globisch (2020)

Glossary of Bible passages cited above

Generally, the books of the Bible are cited with abbreviations which always have the same structure. For example, ‘Gen.’ is the book ‘Genesis’. The first number after the abbreviated book name indicates the chapter, the number after the colon indicates the verse: e.g. Gen. 3:16 = Book of Genesis, chapter 3, verse 16. If there is a hyphen between two numbers, then several chapters or verses are meant: e.g. Gen. 2-3 = Book of Genesis, chapters two to three; John 18:19-40 = Gospel of John, chapter 18, verses 19 to 40. If several verses of a chapter are to be cited which are not in immediate succession, a comma is placed between the verse numbers: John 18:1-3,12 = Gospel of John, chapter 18, verses one to three and verse twelve.

The biblical books cited in the text have been grouped according to the Old and New Testament and sorted alphabetically. For the English translation, the Revised Standard Version of the Bible and the guidelines for citing published by the Modern Language Association were used.
Cited books of the Old Testament:

1 Kings – The First Book of the Kings
2 Kings – The Second Book of the Kings
Deut. – The Fifth Book of Moses, called Deuteronomy
Esth. – The Book of Esther
Gen. – The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
Isa. – The Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Jer. – The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
Judg. – The Book of Judges
Neh. – The Book of Nemaiah
Song of Sg. – The Song of Songs

Cited books of the New Testament:

1 Cor. – The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
John – The Gospel According to Saint John
Mark – The Gospel According to Saint Mark
Matt. – The Gospel According to Saint Matthew

Bibliography

Editorial note: Quotations in the preceding text were translated by the editor.

Allison Jr., Dale C.: Art. Greco-Roman Antiquity and New Testament. In: Ders. / Helmer, Christine / Leppin, Volker / Seow, Choon-Leong / Spieckermann, Hermann / Walfish, Barry Dov / Ziolkowski, Eric J. [Hrsg.]: Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception Online. Band 9, Berlin [u.a.] 2014. Online verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.garden, zuletzt geprüft am 06.04.2020.

Blum, Hubertus Maria: Wie lebt der Kartäuser? In: Zadnikar, Marijan [Hrsg.]: Die Kartäuser. Der Orden der schweigenden Mönchen, Köln 1983, 29–50.

Formann, Inken: Vom Gartenlandt so den Conventualinnen gehört. Die Gartenkultur der evangelischen Frauenklöster und Damenstifte in Norddeutschland, München 2006.

Freyer, Johannes-Baptist: Thomas von Celano, Zweite Lebensbeschreibung oder Memoriale. In: Berg, Dieter / Lehmann, Leonhard [Hrsg.]: Franziskusquellen. Die Schriften des Heiligen Franziskus, Lebensbeschreibungen, Chroniken und Zeugnisse über ihn und seinen Orden, Kevelaer 2009, 289–422.

Gruber, Franz: Der bedrohte Garten. Was uns der Schöpfungsglaube zu denken und zu tun gibt. In: Lederhilger, Severin J. [Hrsg.]: Gärten in der Wüste. Schöpfungsethik zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit, Regensburg 2018, 100–118.

Hennebo, Dieter: Gärten des Mittelalters. München [u.a.] 1987.

Metzdorf, Justina C.: „Im Paradies der Absturz – im Garten die Rettung“. Gedanken der Kirchenväter zum Motiv des Gartens in der Bibel. In: Internationale Katholische Zeitschrift Communio 46 (2017), H. 4, 353–362.

Mortell, Heike: Klostergärten in Sachsen-Anhalt. Eine Annäherung. In: Pötschke, Dieter [Hrsg.]: Herrschaft, Glaube und Kunst. Zur Geschichte des Reichsstiftes und Klosters Drübeck, Berlin 2008, 206–222.

Nordmann, Norbert: Wo sich Theologie und Gartenkunst durchdringen. Die Steyler Klostergärten des hl. Arnold Janssen, Regensburg 2010.

Nowak, Romuald: Skulpturdekorationen der Barockgärten in den Zisterzienserklöstern in Heinrichau und Leubus. In: Kalinowski, Konstanty [Hrsg.]: Studien zur barocken Gartenskulptur. Poznań 1999, 87–96.

Preißler, Matthias: Das Paradies hinter der Mauer. Die Dalheimer Klostergärten. Hrsg. von der Stiftung Kloster Dalheim. LWL-Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Berlin 2010.

Riede, Peter: Art. Garten. In: Das Wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (www.wibilex.de), 2011. Online verfügbar unter: http://www.bibelwissenschaft.de/stichwort/18882/, zuletzt geprüft am 07.04.2020.

Schedl, Barbara: Der Plan von St. Gallen. Ein Modell europäischer Klosterkultur, Wien [u.a.] 2014.

Schwillus, Harald: Hirtenidylle und hortus conclusus. In: Moritz, Arne / Ders. [Hrsg.]: Gartendiskurse. Mensch und Garten in Philosophie und Theologie, Frankfurt a.M. 2007, 63–73.

Schwillus, Harald: Art. Christianity. In: Allison, Dale C. / Helmer, Christine / Leppin, Volker / Seow, Choon-Leong / Spieckermann, Hermann / Walfish, Barry Dov / Ziolkowski, Eric J. [Hrsg.]: Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception Online. Band 9, Berlin [u.a.] 2014. Online verfügbar unter: https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.garden, zuletzt geprüft am 06.04.2020.

Schwillus, Harald: Klöster und ihre Gärten – Nützlichkeit und Kontemplation. In: Internationale Katholische Zeitschrift Communio 46 (2017), H. 4, 382–391.

Thoms, Hilde: Der Klostergarten Michaelstein. Dößel 2005.

Waschke, Ernst-Joachim: Die Funktion des Gartens im Alten Testament. Die Bedeutung seiner Metaphorik für die alttestamentliche Anthropologie. In: Moritz, Arne / Schwillus, Harald [Hsrg.]: Gartendiskurse. Mensch und Garten in Philosophie und Theologie, Frankfurt a. M. 2007, 13–19.

Weinrich, Christa: Kompostieren wie in der Abtei Fulda. Stuttgart 1994.

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Monastery gardens – a theological view

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The garden tomb as a reference to the Kingdom of God

Monastery cemeteries and the Christian message of resurrection

Gardens in monasteries – theological perspectives on using the garden

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The garden as a place for inner reflection and contemplation

Peace and recreation in the garden

Secular plant and garden symbolism in Christian artistic interpretation

Glossary of Bible passages cited above

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Monastery gardens – a theological view

The garden as a biblical motif

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Monastery cemeteries and the Christian message of resurrection

Gardens in monasteries – theological perspectives on using the garden

Practice humility and appreciate creation – looking at the work of gardening

The garden as a place for inner reflection and contemplation

Peace and recreation in the garden

Secular plant and garden symbolism in Christian artistic interpretation

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