Founded by St. Hedwig and Duke Henry the Bearded of Silesia after Duke Henry's near-fatal hunting accident and vow to found convent.
Petrussa, daughter of Hedwig, 1st abbess; Gertrude, daughter of St. Hedwig, 2nd abbess
First abbesses were daughters of St. Hedwig. Last abbess, Dominica von Giller, d. 1810.
St. Hedwig, retired to convent 1238 after death of her husband.
End of 13th century, 120 nuns; 1672, 32 nuns,6 lay sisters; 1805, 23 nuns, 6 lay sisters.
Bishopric of Bamberg (Bishop Ekbert, brother of St. hedwig, chose first nuns of convent.)
St. Hedwig, Duchess of Silesia; Duke Henry the Bearded of Silesia
Duchy of Silesia
Up to 1515, abbesses were princesses of Piast House or nobility.
Originally well endowed, abbey suffered during Thirty Years War when nuns fled to Poland; fled again in 1663 because of Turkish invasion.
Hedwig Codex (14th century), Ludwig ms L.XI.7, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Late romanesque basilica (1203-1219)with baroque additions. Original church had three naves, large transept, three apses and one eastern crypt (Rozpedowski, Die Architecktur der Zisterzienserinnenkirche in Trebnitz.) Tympanum (1219-1240) in style of Bamberg cathedral (Swiechowski, Die Skulpturen der Klosterkirche in Trebnitz; Lorke, Die romanische Plastike der Klosterkirches in Trebnitz.)
Used as mother-house and hospital of Trebnitz Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo
Tombs of Hedwig and Duke Henry near main altar of basilica (Kaczmarek, Das Grabmal der Hl. Hedwig in Trzebnica).
Walter, Di Grabbstatte des Deutschordenshochmeisters; Walter, Zur Baugeschichte der gotischen Grabkapelle der Hl. Hedwig in Trebnitz; Dunin-Wasowicz, Sainte Hedwige et l'hagiographie medieval polonaise; Moller, Restaurierung der Skulptur des hl. Petrus.
Geschichte und Beschreibung des fürstlichen jungfraulichen Klosterstiftes Cistercienser-Ordens in Trebnitz, aus dem Stifts-Urkunden und anderen bewähhten Schriften zusammengetragen
St. Hedwig Herzogin von Schlesien (ob. 1243): treue Patronin des Cistercienserordens.
Hedwig Codex (Ludwig ms L.XI.7), J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Getty Research Institute owns photographs of entire Hedwig Codex; Getty Museum owns ms.