Description of the attraction
The Sekkau Abbey, which was consecrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Benedictine monastery located in the city of Sekkau, Styria. This holy monastery until 1782 was the seat of Bishop Sekkau.
The original Augustinian monastery, the future Abbey of Sekkau, was located in St. Marain bei Knittelfeld. It was founded in 1140 by Adalram of Waldeck. Already in 1142, Archbishop of Salzburg Konrad I ordered to move the monastery to the Sekava Upland. On September 16, 1164, Bishop Hartmann of Brixen consecrated a Romanesque temple that had been built at Sekkau in 1143.
On the initiative of Pope Honorius III and Archbishop Eberhard II of Salzburg, the diocese of Sekkau was founded in 1218. The monastery church immediately became a cathedral. That is why it is still known as Dom-im-Gebirge, that is, "Cathedral in the mountains."
Until 1491, nuns lived in Sekkau Abbey. In 1782, the monastery was abolished as part of the church reform of Emperor Joseph II. Church household items and precious books were taken away, and more than a third of the monastery buildings were destroyed or demolished. In 1883, Benedictines settled in the abandoned monastery complex and saved it from final destruction. In 1940, the Sekkau Abbey was abolished by the Nazis and the monks were expelled from Styria. They returned to their abbey after the end of the war. In the early 80s of the last century, all buildings of the abbey were renovated. The monastery remains active. A school for children was opened under him.
In 2008, a 10 Euro silver coin was issued, which depicts the Sekkau Abbey.
