Agnes II, Abbess of Quedlinburg

Agnes II (Agnes of Meissen; 1139 – 21 January 1203) was a member of the House of Wettin who reigned as Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg.

Agnes II
Agnes II's seal
Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
Reign1184–1203
PredecessorAdelaide III
SuccessorSophia
Born1139
Meissen
Died21 January 1203
Quedlinburg Abbey
FatherConrad, Margrave of Meissen
MotherLuitgard of Swabia
ReligionRoman Catholic

Life

She was born in Meissen as the daughter of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, and Luitgard of Swabia. In 1184, she was elected successor to Princess-Abbess Adelaide III.

Agnes was a significant patron of art, as well as miniaturist and engraver.[1][2] During her reign, the nuns of Quedlinburg Abbey made large curtains that are indispensable in the study of the art industry of the era. She also wrote and illuminated books for divine service. However, her greatest masterpiece was the manufacture of wall-hangings, of which one set was intended to be sent to the Pope;[3] this tapestry is the best preserved piece of Romanesque textile.[4]

She died in Quedlinburg Abbey on 21 January 1203.

Legacy

Agnes is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[5]

References
  1. Prather-Moses, Alice Irma (1981). The international dictionary of women workers in the decorative arts: a historical survey from the distant past to the early decades of the Twentieth Century. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-1450-1. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  2. Bryan, Michael (1925). Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers. G. Bell. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  3. Eckenstein, Lina (2006). Woman Under Monasticism: Chapters on Saint-lore and Convent Life Between A.d. 500 and A.d. 1500. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1-4286-0223-2. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  4. Dale, Thomas E. A. (1997). Relics, prayer, and politics in medieval Venetia: Romanesque painting in the crypt of Aquileia Cathedral. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01175-3. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  5. "Agnes". Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Agnes. Brooklyn Museum. 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Adelaide III		 Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg
1184–1203		 Succeeded by
Sophia
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