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All my life I have traveled a lot in the service of God. And I can say that this sincere piety has earned me great appreciation. After all, I was the confessor and confidant of Pope Gregory IX, Bishop of Bosnia and finally Master of the Dominican Order. I am called Johannes von Wildeshausen - or with my Latin nickname "Teutonicus"- probably because they wanted to distinguish me from many other men named Johannes. Yes, piety and erudition, that's what defines me. And the foundation of everything I later learned in Paris and Bologna I experienced here, in my dear home Wildeshausen. I was born here in the year of the Lord 1180. I belonged to the family of the Counts of Oldenburg, who secured their secular rule here at this time and built a mound castle a little more south. My family decided early on that I should become a priest of Jesus Christ for the salvation of all of us. That's why I was able to learn everything I needed to know as a clergyman from the learned men of the Alexanderstift. There in the Remter, the old refectory of the canons, the scholastic always welcomed me and taught me with loving strictness reading, writing and – most importantly- Latin! O Gloria in excelsis deo! The Remter with its thick stone walls always seemed like an awe-inspiring old building to me. It was quite cool there, which was pleasant. At least during the warm summers. Originally, the Remter was built as a community house for the canons, but now there’s also a school in one of the rooms. The Remter was the only large stone building at that time. Even the old basilica of Count Walbert was still mostly made of wood. But now I'm old and so much has changed here. The basilica has become the mighty, towering red brick church, praise be to God. There is now a cloister to the south of the church, in which the canons can indulge in edification. To the west of the large gate with its high bell tower is the Gottesacker, where not only the clergy of the monastery, but also the local farmers and craftsmen rest in eternal peace. North of the church down the river Hunte is the house of the provost, the spiritual head of the monastery. He has all the power within the walls of the monastery grounds. This is the freedom of the monastery, in which not even the counts have power. On this sacred ground they are guests at best. Yes, a lot has changed in the last 50 years, but the Remter is still standing here, imperturbable. May it stand here for many more years and may learning grow within its walls.