Lambach Abbey (german: Stift Lambach) is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery in

Lambach Lambach () is a market town in the Wels-Land district of the Austrian state of Upper Austria on the Ager and Traun Rivers. A major stop on the salt trade, it is the site of the Lambach Abbey, built around 1056. Notable alumnus from the local e ...

in the Wels-Land district of

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

, Austria.

History

A monastery was founded in Lambach in about 1040 by Count Arnold II of Lambach-Wels. His son, Bishop

Adalbero of Würzburg Adalbero of Würzburg (or Saint Adalbero; 1010 – 6 October 1090) was Bishop of Würzburg and Count of Lambach-Wels. Life Born around 1010 in Lambach an der Traun, Adalbero was the youngest son of Count Arnold II of Lambach in Upper Austria ( ...

(later canonised), changed the monastery into a Benedictine abbey in 1056, which it has been since. During the 17th and 18th centuries a great deal of work in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

style was carried out, much of it by the Carlone family. Lambach escaped the dissolution of the monasteries of Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

in the 1780s. In 1897/98,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

lived in the town of Lambach with his parents and attended the monastery school, where he saw the hakenkreuz used in decorative carving on the stone and woodwork of the building. He later used it as a symbol for the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

, placing it in a white circle with a red background for use as a flag.

Cultural features

Between Easter Sunday and 31. of October guided tours are offered every day at 14:00. The tour includes entrance to the Romanesque frescoes, the Baroque theatre, the library and the Baroque church. The abbey has preserved much of cultural interest. It contains the oldest extant Romanesque frescoes in Southern Germany and Austria, and the former abbey tavern, now a pharmacy, with a beautiful Baroque façade. The abbey's Baroque theatre has also been restored to working order and the summer refectory from the early 18th century by Carlo Antonio Carlone has been converted into a concert hall. The

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

by Diego Carlone from the same period is of great magnificence. An unexpected feature is the set of Baroque dwarves in the monastery garden (see also

Gleink Abbey Gleink Abbey (Stift or Kloster Gleink) was a Benedictine monastery located in the town of Steyr in Austria. The monastery was founded in the early 12th century by Arnhalm I of Glunich with monks from Garsten Abbey. Upon its dissolution in 1784 ...

). The abbey church was also refurbished in the Baroque style, with an organ by Christoph Egedacher and contains the tomb of Saint Adelbero. The abbey also possesses the medieval St. Adelbero's Chalice, although it is rarely on view to the public, besides a large collection of sacred art. The library was constructed about 1691 and contains approximately 50,000 volumes as well as archive material. Since 1625 the abbey has belonged to the

Austrian Congregation The Austrian Congregation is a congregation of Benedictine monasteries situated in Austria, within the Benedictine Confederation. History The Congregation was founded on 3 August 1625 by Pope Urban VIII, and consisted of eleven Benedictine monaster ...

, which now forms part of the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

Notes

External links

Lambach Abbey website
{{Authority control Benedictine monasteries in Austria Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Monasteries in Upper Austria Religious buildings and structures completed in 1056