Documentary
´45/´30, SWR, 2019
The former monastery church of St. Maria and Markus on the island of Reichenau in Lake Constance is more than 1,000 years old. The Romanesque-Gothic church is the center of the monastery island of Reichenau, whose history is so important that it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tradition and heritage of the Benedictine monks shape the island and its inhabitants to this day.
The monastery island of Reichenau on Lake Constance is one of the most fertile spots in Germany. Today it is mainly known as vegetable island. The origin of agriculture goes back to Benedictine monks, who made the island arable in the early Middle Ages. They founded an important monastery on the island, which was an important center of occidental culture around 1000 AD. Today, there are three churches on the Reichenau, reminiscent of the old monastic tradition — St. George, St. Peter and Paul and the great former monastery church of St. Maria and Markus.
The film accompanies Manfred Müller, the sexton of St. Maria and Mark, who watches over the art treasures of the church. The fisherman and winemaker Stefan Riebel and the farmer Stefanie Wehrle continue their family tradition, which has been cultivated on the island for many centuries. Previously, the monks were the lords of the island and employed the peasants in agriculture. Since the powerful koster was abandoned in 1803 by the last monks, took over in 1830, the former feudal residents, the land, laying the foundation for today’s vegetable island.
Since 2001, some Benedictine monks and nuns have found a new home on the Reichenau — in St. Peter and Paul, the neighboring church of the former monastery church. There, Father Stephan Vorwerk has served as parish pastor and pastor for several years. This is unusual for a Benedictine monk, but that closes the circle of a thousand-year-old tradition.
Director: | Katja Duregger |
Camera: | Jeff Zimmermann |
Sound: | Peter Toth |
Film Editing: | Nina Staiber |
Mix: | Vanessa Wollenschläger |
Head of production: | Stefanie Gütle |
Commissioning Editors: | Elisabeth Milin, Julia Melan |
Producer: | Bernhard Stegmann |
Production: | AV Medien Film und Fernsehen GmbH |