I have traced my SPIRA ancestry backed to the 1500's in Sponheim. I learned that Jakob SPIRA was the 30th abbot of the monastery in Sponheim and he officiated there from 1559 to 1564. He turned the monastery over to Prince Elector Friedrich III and Count Philibert von Baden when Protestantism was introduced into the area. Jakob then married Beatrix, who had been abbess of the nearby covent of St. Katharinen in Braunweiler. Beatrix apparently belonged to a noble family and owned a house in Odernheim. I would like to learn the family name of Beatrix and the history of St. Katharinen's. Can anyone offer some possible resources for research? Gary duf@ntplx.net