Description of the attraction
Michelbeuern Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Dorfbeuern 30 kilometers north of Salzburg.
On the site of the monastery, a monastic cell existed as early as 736, as stated in the monastery register. After the Hungarian War, in 977, after donations from Emperor Otto II, the construction of the monastery began. Consecration took place on July 18, 1072, and the first known abbot of the monastery was Verigand (1072-1100). The crisis period for the monastery was the fire that happened in 1364.
From the 17th century, a period of prosperity began at Michelbeuern Abbey, which led to ambitious construction work. In particular, the Baroque altar was built in 1691 under the direction of the architect Johann Michael Rottmeier. This period saw the heyday of education and the study of natural sciences. More than 25 monks from the abbey taught at the University of Salzburg. The abbey has also taken on many pastoral responsibilities in the surrounding parishes. In 1641 the monastery became a member of the Salzburg congregation. The library was restored under the leadership of Abbot Anton Moser, and in 1771 frescoes by Franz Nicholas were created in the hall.
During the National Socialist period, schools and churches were closed and monks were expelled. The monks were able to return to the abbey only after the end of World War II, and the abbey church was re-consecrated in 1950.
Today the monastery is a thriving Benedictine community known as an educational and cultural center. The monks work in the school, the abbey has a different business: farms, a heating plant, an equity stake in a brewery. The current rector is Johannes Perkmann, who was elected in 2006.
