The Austrian Congregation is a congregation of

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') , found ...

monasteries situated in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, within 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 ...

History

The Congregation was founded on 3 August 1625 by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

, and consisted of eleven Benedictine monasteries in Austria: * Altenburg Abbey *

Garsten Abbey Garsten Abbey (german: Stift Garsten) is a former Benedictine monastery located in Garsten near Steyr in Upper Austria. Since 1851, the former monastery buildings have accommodated a prison. History The abbey was founded in 1080–1082 by Ottoka ...

* Gleink Abbey *

Göttweig Abbey Göttweig Abbey (german: Stift Göttweig) is a Benedictine monastery near Krems in Lower Austria. It was founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau. History Göttweig Abbey was founded as a monastery of canons regular by Blessed Altmann ( ...

Kleinmariazell Abbey Kleinmariazell is a district of Altenmarkt an der Triesting in the Wienerwald, Lower Austria, Austria. Geography Kleinmariazell is located north of Altenmarkt in a side valley of the Triesting in the direction of Klausen-Leopoldsdorf. The cl ...

Kremsmünster Abbey Kremsmünster Abbey (german: Stift Kremsmünster) is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria. History The monastery was founded in 777 AD by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria. According to the foundation legend, Tassilo founded the ...

Lambach Abbey Lambach Abbey (german: Stift Lambach) is a Benedictine monastery in Lambach in the Wels-Land district of Upper Austria, Austria. History A monastery was founded in Lambach in about 1040 by Count Arnold II of Lambach-Wels. His son, Bishop Adalber ...

Melk Abbey Melk Abbey (german: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and th ...

* Mondsee Abbey * Schottenstift, Vienna *

Seitenstetten Abbey Seitenstetten Abbey (german: Stift Seitenstetten) is a Benedictine monastery in Seitenstetten in the ''Mostviertel'' region of Lower Austria. History The monastery was founded in 1112 by Udalschalk, or Udiskalk, a relative of Bishop Ulrich of Pa ...

Salzburg Congregation

These were however not all the Benedictine monasteries of present-day Austria. Those in the

Diocese of Salzburg The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg ( la, Archidioecesis Salisburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdioces ...

were formed in 1641 into the Salzburg Congregation, consisting of: * Admont Abbey * Michaelbeuern Abbey *

Ossiach Abbey Ossiach Abbey (''Stift Ossiach'') is a former Benedictine monastery in Ossiach, in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The site is one of the venues of an annual music festival called "Carinthian Summer". History In 878 the East Frankish king Car ...

* St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal *

St. Peter's Abbey, Salzburg St Peter's Abbey (german: Stift Sankt Peter), or St Peter's Archabbey (German: ''Erzabtei Stift Sankt Peter'', la, Archiabbatia sancti Petri Salisburgensis), is a Benedictine monastery and former cathedral in the Austrian city of Salzburg. It is ...

The diocese also then included two further monasteries, the locations of which are now in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

: *

St. Vitus' Abbey on the Rott St. Vitus' Abbey, occasionally also St. Vitus' Abbey on the Rott (german: Kloster Sankt Veit; Kloster Sankt Veit an der Rott), was a Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit in the district of Mühldorf in Bavaria, ...

* Seeon Abbey Salzburg was secularised and became part of Austria in 1816.

Later history

Several of these abbeys ceased to exist as a result of the dissolution of monasteries enforced by 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 u ...

in the 1780s. Some survived, however, and the 19th century brought a revival in the monastic movement. The two congregations were renewed by Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

on 23 August 1889 as the Congregations of Mary and Joseph respectively, and were combined as the present Austrian Congregation by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fr ...

on 8 December 1930.

Present Congregation

The Austrian Congregation (as of 2006) consists of the following monasteries in Austria: * Admont Abbey * Altenburg Abbey *

Gut Aich Priory Gut Aich Priory (Kloster Gut Aich) is a Benedictine monastery in St. Gilgen in Austria. It was founded in 1993 and was formally recognised as an independent monastery on 11 July 2004 by the Presiding Abbot of the Austrian Congregation of the Bene ...

* Michaelbeuern Abbey * Schottenstift, Vienna *

St. Joseph's Priory, Maria Roggendorf St. Joseph's Priory, Maria Roggendorf () is a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine priory located in the long-established pilgrimage centre of Maria Roggendorf in the district of Hollabrunn in Lower Austria. It was founded on 7 September 1991 by Gö ...

* St. Lambrecht's Abbey * St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal * St. Peter's Archabbey, Salzburg *Kolleg St. Benedikt (student house)

External links

Website of the Austrian Benedictines

Benedictine congregations Religious organizations established in 1625 Catholic religious institutes established in the 17th century 1625 establishments in Austria {{Austria-org-stub