Kloster Weltenburg

Kloster Weltenburg (Weltenburg Abbey) is the oldest abbey in Bavaria, founded about 620 by iro-scottish monks. The abbey is situated on the banks of the Danube, just west of the "Danube Gorge" (aka "Weltenburg Narrows" - "Donaudurchbruch"). Saint Rupert may have consecrated a church here, dedicated to St. George around 700.

In 1050 Benedictian monks founded a brewery here, that is still existing (though the abbey got secularised in 1803 and refounded some decades later). The brewery claims, to be the oldest monastery brewery in the world today, even older than the brewery in Weihenstephan.

There are not many traces from the early times. During the wars of the 16th/17th century, the abbey was looted a couple of times. Most of the building seen here were erected within the first half of the 18th century in the Baroque style. At that time the abbey was wealthy again and could effort to have the best artists here to work.

The famed Asam-Brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin, acclaimed celebreties of the Baroque time in Bavaria, having an showcase-chapel in Munich, did the interior design of the St. Georg church. This is a jewel for all aficionados of the Baroque style.

Here is the large fresco under the oval dome. The fresco was probably done by Egid Quirin Asam, while his brother Cosmas Damian Asam created the stucco around it. Accordingly they added two portaits, one in fresco, one in stucco. I´ll upload a closeup next.