{"id":11877,"date":"2020-08-12T11:21:25","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T09:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klosterland.de\/klosterkultur\/gardens\/klostergaerten-ein-theologischer-blick\/"},"modified":"2023-03-30T08:18:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T06:18:51","slug":"klostergaerten-ein-theologischer-blick","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/klosterland.de\/en\/klosterkultur\/gardens\/klostergaerten-ein-theologischer-blick\/","title":{"rendered":"Monastery gardens \u2013 a theological view"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The garden as a biblical motif<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Yearning for a state of paradise<\/h3>\n

\"Natur<\/a>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 \u2018return\u2019 to the faultless, paradisal state of Eden. Eden rather remains a \u201cmetaphor for mankind\u2019s lost origin and its longing to retrieve it\u201d (Waschke 2007, p. 18). Monastery gardens explore the story of the lost paradise and the freedom of man \u2013 e.g., through sculptures, words and the design of the garden.<\/p>\n

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The garden tomb as a reference to the Kingdom of God<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019 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.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Monastery cemeteries and the Christian message of resurrection<\/h3>\n
\"Tagung<\/a>

Bronnbach monastery garten<\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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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 \u201cdeep symbolic connection\u201d (Hennebo 1987, p. 29), as can be seen from the notation on the monastery plan: \u201cAmong 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\u201d (cited from The Garden Trust: \u201cThe perfect monastic garden?\u201d, 2019, https:\/\/thegardenstrust.blog\/2019\/08\/31\/the-perfect-monastic-garden\/ \u2013 and for the German original: Schedl 2014, p. 134). For this reason, a cross stands in the middle of the cemetery. It \u201cpoints to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his act of redemption\u201d (Schwillus 2017, p. 384). The \u2018fragrant fruits of eternal health\u2019 mentioned in the inscription remind us of the fruits in the Garden of Eden. According to Christian conviction, Jesus is also called the \u2018new Adam\u2019. 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\u2019s tomb indicates that the \u2018old\u2019 Adam, who was driven out of paradise, will be redeemed by the \u2018new\u2019 Adam.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=\u201d1\/3\u2033][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=\u201ddownload-box\u201d][vc_column_text]Gardens in monasteries and in the Bible<\/strong><\/p>\n