Geras Abbey (''Stift Geras'') is a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

monastery in

Geras In Greek mythology, Geras () is the god of old age. He was typically depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. In Latin, he is referred to as Senectus. He is known primarily from vase depictions ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

. Since 1783, it has also owned the premises of the former Pernegg Abbey nearby.

History

The abbey was founded in 1153 as a daughter house of Seelau Abbey by Ekbert and Ulrich of

Pernegg Pernegg is a town located in the district of Horn in Lower Austria, Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Aust ...

and settled by canons from Seelau. Geras Abbey was able to survive the reforms of the

Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

and the consequent monastery closures of 1783, and remains in operation to this day. The abbey church is a Romanesque

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

which was reworked in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style in the 18th century by the architect

Josef Munggenast Josef Munggenast (5 March 1680 – 3 May 1741) was an Austrian architect and masterbuilder of the Baroque architecture, Baroque period. Munggenast was born in Schnann in county of Tyrol, Tyrol, the nephew of Jakob Prandtauer, who advanced his ca ...

and the

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

painter

Paul Troger Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their pale ...

. In 1953, the church was elevated to the status of a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

. Today, the abbey is often used as a venue for classical music recitals.

Pernegg Abbey

, about 10 kilometres from Geras, Ekbert and Ulrich of Pernegg, the founders of Geras Abbey, also founded Pernegg Abbey, a Premonstratensian nunnery which was also a daughter house of Seelau Abbey. Pernegg became a community of canons in 1584. In 1700, it became an abbey but was dissolved in 1783 under the reforms of Emperor Joseph II. In the mid-19th century, the premises were acquired by Geras Abbey. Since 1995, they have been used as a retreat and seminar centre for the monastery at Geras.

Notes

External links

Geras Abbey website

Monasterium.net: Geras AbbeyGeras Abbey: photographs
{{Authority control Premonstratensian monasteries in Austria Premonstratensian nunneries 1153 establishments in Europe Basilica churches in Austria Monasteries in Lower Austria Tourist attractions in Lower Austria 12th-century establishments in Austria Establishments in the Margraviate of Austria