Austria - Reichersberg Abbey

Stift Reichersberg (Reichersberg Abbey) was founded in 1084. After the early death of their only son, Gebhard, who reportedly drowned in the nearby river Inn, nobleman Wernher von Reichersberg and his wife Dietburga founded a monastery near their castle. The advice to bring Augustinian Canons to Reichersberg probably came from Archbishop Gebhard von Salzburg, the brother-in-law of the founder. The first canons came from Saxony. The founder himself also ended up in the monastery after the death of his wife.

Times of prosperity and adversity varied in the course of the following centuries. In 1624 the relatively small romanesque-gothic monastery complex was completely destroyed by a devastating fire. During the next years of the 17th century it was replaced by baroque new buildings, which today belong to the most important baroque buildings in Upper Austria.

The complex is grouped around two courtyards. The most important buildings are located along the 123 meter long outer courtyard, an architectural jewel with arcades and the marble fountain. The fountain is crowned with a figure of St. Michael, the patron of the monastery.

The abbey church of St. Michael was consecrated in 1644. The furnishings are late 18th century, with frescoes, marble side-altars and a beautiful pulpit; in 1883 the organ was widened.
During the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) it had to struggle for its existence. In 1810 the monastery was placed under administration and seven years later monastic activities resumed.

By ceding the Innviertel to Austria ("Peace of Teschen", 1779), the Reicherberg monastery escaped secularisation, but had to fight hard for its existence during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815): in 1809 the monastery fell to the French, then again to Bavaria, until it was finally reassigned to Austria in April 1816. In spite of great material and personal hardship, a regular monastic life was again possible.

During World War II (1939-1945) the monastery was forced to provide a home for a flying school, but avoided being closed down. Nowadays the abbey is still owned and inhabited by Augustinian Canons.