Vineyards on the Moselle

It was quite a company of dignitaries that had gathered in Mainz on Emperor Lothar III's court day in 1126: the archbishops of Cologne and Mainz, the bishops of Liege and Worms, the counts of Loon, Luxembourg and the Palatinate, the deacon of the chapter of St. Servaas, accompanied by the scholar, cantor and servants and probably also by a delegation from the abbey of Hersfeld (about 40 km north of Fulda), though it is not mentioned by name. The plan was to come to an exchange. The chapter of St. Servaas owned property at Monsheim (west of Worms) and Dienheim (south of Mainz) and wanted to exchange it with Hersfeld for the church of the village of Güls on the Moselle, right across from Koblenz. Since time immemorial the chapter of St. Servaas had owned vineyards in this place (charter no. 4). It has been assumed that these properties could be traced back to a donation from Zwentibold, the last king of Lorraine from 895-900. Zwentibold's name is connected in Limburg with the donation of the Graetheide to 14 surrounding villages and as well as with the abbey of Susteren, where he was buried. Whatever may be true, in the time between 928 and 939 Duke Giselbrecht of Lorraine, as "rector" of St. Servaas Church, temporarily gave the goods in Güls as collateral to the archbishop of Trier. So at least at that time it was already fixed property.

According to Jocundus, a cleric who gave a description of the life of St. Servaas around 1080, the chapter traditionally had a large "familia" in Güls, inhabitants who were in a dependency relationship to the chapter as semi-freemen. In that biography the same Jocundus mentions a spectacular miracle that allegedly took place in the vineyards of Güls. At night children had entered the vineyard and had not only picked grapes, but had also caused havoc. An old man, who looked exactly like St. Servaas, suddenly appeared and admonished the vandals. For punishment the children remained glued to the vines like "living dead". When they were found by their families, the consternation was great. In desperation they prayed to God and St. Servaas for mercy. They promised never to do harm again and they would visit the saint's tomb in Maastricht barefoot when they recovered their children. Thereupon St. Servaas asserted his power, and the children were redeemed. The scene of the thieving children is also depicted on a gilded relief under the medieval bust of St. Servaas in the church's treasury.

Vineyards were important to church institutions. Not only did they provide the wine for the liturgy, it was also a safe drink, used to pay or complete agreements. Finally, sales were an important source of income. Hence, the chapter placed so much value on this property. The wine was shipped in barrels down the Rhine, unloaded in Cologne, transported by cart to Maastricht and finally stored in the large cellar near the church. Sales to citizens also took place there, incidentally much to the displeasure of the Maastricht city council, because no excise was paid on that trade within the area of St. Servaas.

With the vineyards on the Moselle, the chapter had a property that was difficult to manage because of its great distance. Conflicts regularly arose. For example, two charters from 1263 and 1264 tell of a quarrel with the Benedictines of Siegburg Abbey, between Cologne and Bonn, over tithes that the monks had to pay to the chapter from their lands in Güls (charter no. 23). Even later, in the 17th century, there were years of litigation with the Jesuits of the neighbouring city of Koblenz. Only the French Revolution put an end to the chapter's presence in Güls. The canons disappeared, but the winemakers remained and still produce excellent wine to this day.