Dorfbeuern benediktinerabtei michaelbeuern

Michaelbeuern Abbey () is a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery in Dorfbeuern near

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

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 Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

History

A monastic cell existed here as early as 736 or thereabouts, referred to in the

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

Monastery Register(''"Klosterverzeichnis"'') in 817 as ''"Buria"''. After the Hungarian wars, reconstruction began in 977 with an endowment from Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...

. More times of crisis came upon the abbey with the fire of 1346, mismanagement of the prebendal income and the effects of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

Dorfbeuern benediktinerabtei michaelbeuern 1

From the 17th century however Michaelbeuern began a long period of prosperity, which led to ambitious building works, for example 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 ...

high altar of 1691 in the abbey church, by

Meinrad Guggenbichler Meinrad is a German male given name, which means "strong advisor", from the German words ''magan'' "mighty, strong" and ''rad'' "counsel".Förstemann, Ernst"Behind the Name: Meinrad" ''Altdeutsches namenbuch'', 1900. Retrieved on 6 January 2016. T ...

and

Johann Michael Rottmayr Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was an Austrian painter. Biography Rottmayr was born in Laufen an der Salzach, Bavaria. Along with his Laufen-born contemporary, Hans Adam Weissenkircher, he received his educ ...

. At this time more than twenty-five monks of Michaelbeuern gained their doctorates at the Benedictine

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (, ), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg State, ...

. The community also took on many pastoral responsibilities in the surrounding parishes. During the

National Socialist Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...

period the monks were expelled, but returned after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The abbey church, re-romanised, was re-dedicated in 1950. From 1641 the abbey was a member of the

Salzburg 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 in 1930 was merged into the present

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 ...

of the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict () is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic congregations that nevertheless retain their own aut ...

The abbey today

The abbey today is a thriving Benedictine community, well known as an educational and cultural centre. The abbey runs a school and owns different business like a farm, a district heating plant, a

biogas plant Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion with anaerob ...

and a participation in a brewery (Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln). Cultural offerings include the Baroque cloister, medieval refectory, and high altar in the church. The abbey houses a rich manuscript collection, a notable music archive, and hosts various concerts. It actively preserves and presents Christian art within the monastic community. The present abbot is Johannes Perkmann who was elected in 2006.

Church

File:Wappen Benediktinerabtei Michaelbeuern.JPG, Coat of Arms above the main entrance File:Abteikirche Michaelbeuern Hochaltar.JPG, Abbey church high altar by Meinrad Guggenbichler and

File:Abteikirche Michaelbeuern35.JPG, Painting by Johann Michael Rottmayr File:Abteikirche Michaelbeuern Grabplatte des Abts Ulrich Hofbauer.JPG, Gravesite of Ulrich Hofbauer

References

External links

Michaelbeuern Abbey website
977 establishments Religious buildings and structures completed in the 970s Benedictine monasteries in Austria Buildings and structures in Salzburg (federal state) Museums in Salzburg (federal state) Religious museums in Austria Art museums and galleries in Austria Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor {{Catholic-monastery-stub