Description of the attraction
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 have not survived, which means that Rhine is the oldest surviving Cistercian monastery.
In September 1276, noble citizens of Styria and Carinthia entered into an alliance with King Rudolf I against the reigning king Ottokar II, thereby helping to consolidate 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 subsequent 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 according to the project of the architect Bartholomew di Bosio. 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 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).
