Wettingen-Mererau Abbey in Austria, Bregenz spa
Rating: 8,0/10 (2100 votes)  Wettingen-Mererau Abbey is a territorial-administrative unit of the Roman Catholic Church, subordinate to the Holy See, under the leadership of the abbot of the Benedictine monastery. The abbey is located on the territory of a Benedictine monastery, not far from the city of Bregenz. The monastery was founded by Saint Columbanus back in 611. In 1079 the monastery was reformed by the monk Gottfried, who instituted the reign of Saint Benedict. In the 11th century, Count Ulrich restored the monastery, after which the monks from the Abbey of St. Peter, who arrived from Constance, settled in it. In the XII – In the 13th century, many nearby lands became the property of the monastery. By the 16th century, the monastery complex had more than 60 parishes. During the Reformation in the middle of the 16th century, the monastery was the basis for supporting the cataclysm in Vorarlberg. The inhabitants of the region were greatly influenced by the sermons conducted by Abbot Ulrich Metz, who turned them against various religious innovations. During the war with the Swedes in the 17th century, the monastery was seriously damaged, also valuable church relics and frescoes were removed. The restoration work of the complex was carried out in 1738. At the beginning of the 19th century, after the defeat of the Austrian Republic at the Battle of Austerlitz, the entire territory of Vorarlburg was ceded to Bavaria. In 1806, the monastery was disbanded, and some of the buildings were also burned. A year later, the surviving buildings were put up for auction, and subsequently torn apart for materials for the construction of Landau's harbor. In the middle of the 19th century, Austria again took possession of these lands. Soon, land was purchased for the construction of a new monastery. The new abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau was opened in October 1854. In the XIX – XX centuries, the abbey continued to develop actively. In 1920, the complex included a nearby castle, which now houses a boarding school, a secondary school and a sanatorium.    We also recommend reading Church of the Sacred Heart (Herz-Jesu-Kirche) in Austria, Bregenz spa Topic: Wettingen-Mererau Abbey in Austria, Bregenz spa. |
