MONASTERY OF HIRSAU

Hirsau begins to be founded.

...returning from Vercelli after two months. Count Erlafrid, mindful of his promise, began to build a monastery for Saint Aurelius in the location mentioned before. He began in the same year that the most sacred relics were brought by his son. This was the year 830 since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was the seventh year of Emperor Louis I Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. It was also the 231st year since the passing of our most holy father Benedict. He successfully completed the work in seven years with swift perfection. That land provides a vast abundance of both stone and wood. There was no need to bring materials from elsewhere as is sometimes done in our own region. While these things were being done,

Gifts sent by Notting.

the reverend Bishop Notting sent a great weight of gold and silver to his father. He did this to participate in such a holy work. He wanted to help the progress of the building and provide for the daily needs of the monks so they could serve God more freely.

Golden crosses, chalices, books, and ornaments.

He also sent golden and silver crosses and chalices for the service of divine worship. He sent books and various ornaments for the beauty of the house of the Lord. He knew all these things were necessary for the task. Erlafrid persisted in the work he had started. He judged it necessary to hurry toward completion. He feared that if he died suddenly, the work might be left unfinished, delayed, or stopped entirely. Though his son Ermefridus assisted his father in this holy work, because of his youth, he did not seem to burn with the same great zeal for divine love that such a business required.

The completion of Hirsau Monastery.

In the seventh year after the construction of Hirsau Monastery began, it was completed. This was the year of our Lord 837, in the 15th indiction a fifteen year cycle used in the Roman calendar for dating. This was achieved through the tireless diligence of Count Erlafrid. He spared no expense to finish what he had conceived in his mind. The church was quite beautiful. It was built in the ancient style without the support of columns. It was spacious and covered with a wooden paneled roof. It was decorated with four altars inside. Furthermore, the layout of the cloister followed the pattern of the ancients. It was wide but of a simpler structure. It was also covered with a wooden roof. It was suitable for monastic devotion rather than for pride. The other living quarters for the monks were arranged around the cloister. For that time, they were quite beautiful and orderly. However, if our monks today were enclosed in similar cells, they would cry out that they were handed over to chains and darkness. I will give the reason for this. The monks of old had humble and dark cells, churches, and houses. However, their hearts were very bright with the love of Almighty God and the knowledge of the divine scriptures. Our monks now build very bright churches, cells, and houses. But their hearts are dark and full of vice and laziness. They do not love God as they should. They do not focus their minds on reading the scriptures. So it is that when chalices were once made of copper, the priests were made of gold. Today the chalices are gold, and the priests are copper. This monastery built by Erlafrid was in the place where we said the blind man was healed. It was also where Erlafrid had a hunting lodge in the forest. However, nearly two hundred and thirty