Regensburg - Sankt Emmeram

Kloster St. Emmeram (St. Emmeram's Abbey) was founded in about 739. The church was erected over the tomb of St. Emmeram. Emmeram was one of the early wandering missionaries in Bavaria. He came from Poitiers, where he had been bishop, and was martyred in 652.
Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg (924 - 994) was abbot here, before he became bishop of Regensburg. Wolfgang and his successor Blessed Ramwod connected the abbey to the monastic reforms of Gorze. A century later St. Emmeram´s Abbey was one of the centers of the Cluniac Reforms in Southern Germany. William of Hirsau and (his friend) Ulrich of Zell "aka "Ulrich of Cluny") were both educated here.

During that years, St. Emmeram´s was an intellectual hub. The scriptorium was a centre of book production and illumination ("Uta Codex").

The importance declined, but during the 16th century the abbey enjoyed a resurgence particularly in the natural sciences. In 1731, the abbots were raised to the status of Reichsfuersten ("Princes of the Empire"), what triggered a Baroque refurbishment od the buildings, lead by the Asam brothers.

The secularisation ended the monastic life and in 1812 the buildings were granted to the Princes of Thurn and Taxis, who had St. Emmeram's Abbey converted as a residence, known as "Schloss Thurn und Taxis".

The family of Thurn und Taxis still lives in the former monastery, while the former abbey church now is the parish church St. Emmeram, .

This throne is placed in the crypt of St. Wolfgang, just opposite St. Wolfgang´s shrine. The throne, dated to the 10th century, may have been the "bishop´s seat" of Wolfgang. The two lions make very clear, that the person, seated on the "cathedra" above them is of a very high rank. The throne may be even a older and used by Arnulf von Kaernten (Arnulf of Carinthia) the last Carolingian emperor, who had a palace next to the monastery. It is actually named "Heinrichstuhl", what may be connected to Duke Heinrich II of Bavaria (aka "Heinrich der Zaenker", "Henry the Wrangler"), whose grave is in St. Emmeram, or to three of the local burgraves named Heinrich who may have (re)used the throne within the 12th /13th century. It may well be, that all mentioned persons (and many more) have used this throne.