Nucleus of the Town: an Abbey

Colonization and missionizing of a country was dependent on strategically important streets and how the rivers ran. Both was there for the origin of Herrieden: The Altmühl river was there as a water route and trade route, which ran from Donauwörth to Fulda.

The Franconian Lord of the Manor named Cadolt (Cadolzburg), who used to own much land and property in this area, gathered men strong in faith who were prepared to live and work according to the rules of St. Benedict. On the grounds of what is today the Church of our Lady, he founded an abbey in 78, richly equipped it with grounds and foundation and, hence, secured the livelihood of the monks.

Cadolt donated his abbey to the Franconian King Karl who in turn named his trustee Deocar as first abbot.

In 888, the Herrieden abbey was converted into a male choir monastery at the head of which was not a provost who was under special obligation to the Bishop of Eichstätt.

Life inside the old abbey walls had fundamentally changed with that conversion.

In place to the monks, the canons now moved into the monastery grounds. They later called themselves “choir masters”. These choir masters either lived in apartments of their own or they had splendid homes built for themselves, surrounding the monastery church.

A special honor was bestowed on the male choir monastery Herrieden in 1358 by Emperor Karl IV:
He donated to it a gilded monstrance with a precious relic of St. Veit (to this day still in possession of the church) and had a writ of protection issued for the church.