Cistercian Monastery Rhein (Stift Rein) description and photos - Austria: Styria (Topic)

Cistercian Monastery Rhein (Stift Rein) description and photos - Austria: Styria. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Stift Rein.

Photo and description

Rhein Monastery is a Cistercian monastery located near Gratwein in the Austrian federal state of Styria. The monastery is also known as the "cradle of Styria".

The monastery was founded in 1129 by Leopold the Strong from Styria, monks from the Abbey of Ebrach (Bavaria) moved here under the leadership of the first abbot Gerlakus. At that time it was the 38th Cistercian monastery, however, the previous 37 did not survive and this means that Rhine is the oldest surviving monastery of the Cistercians.

In September 1276, the noble citizens of Styria and Carinthia entered into an alliance with the king Rudolf I against the reigning king Ottokar II, thereby contributing to the consolidation of the Habsburg family as rulers of Austria.

In the 15th century, the monastery was at its peak. However, in 1480 after the Turkish invasion, the monastery was badly damaged. The damage was repaired in the following years, and fortifications with ramparts and towers were built. In the same year, there was an outbreak of plague, the victim of which fell the abbot Ganser (1472-1480).

At the beginning of the 17th century, it became necessary to expand the monastery buildings. The changes were made in 1629-1632 by the architect Bartholomew di Bozio. The baroque restoration of the church was carried out in 1738-1747 by Johann Georg Steng from Graz. The frescoes, which appeared in 1766, were by Joseph Adam von Molck, and the altar cathina by Martin Johan Schmidt in 1779.

The abbey's library, consisting of 100,000 books, contains 390 unique manuscripts.

During World War II, the abbey was confiscated by the Nazis and the monks were expelled. They were able to return at the end of 1945. Currently, the abbey has 10 monks and the abbot of Steigenberg Petrus (56th abbot since the foundation of the monastery).

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Topic: Cistercian Monastery Rhein (Stift Rein) description and photos - Austria: Styria.