Andechs Abbey is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

in the municipality of

Andechs Andechs is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. It is renowned in Germany and beyond for Andechs Abbey, a Benedictine monastery that has brewed beer since 1455. The monastery brewery offers tours to visitors. The ...

, in the ''Landkreis'' of Starnberg,

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. A place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

on a hill east of the Ammersee, the Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery, Klosterbrauerei Andechs. Composer

Carl Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata '' Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl ...

is buried in the church.

Background

In 955, relics brought from Rome and the Holy Land by

Rasso Saint Rasso of Andechs (also ''Rasso of Grafrath, Graf Ratt, Ratho, Grafrath, Rasso von Andechs'') (c. 900–953) was a Bavarian count and military leader, pilgrim, and saint. He was the count (''Graf'') of Dießen-Andechs, leading the Bavarians ...

, count of Diessen, to his monastery at Wörth (later called

Grafrath Grafrath is a municipality in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria in Germany. It takes its name from Saint Rasso (Ratho), a count (Graf) who founded a Benedictine abbey in the 10th century. Points of interest * Forstlicher Versuchs ...

) were transferred to the ''heilege'' Berg (holy mountain) to preserve them from the ravages of the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

. Around 1100, Berthold II, Count of Andechs built a new residence on a hill outside Andechs. In the 12th century three

hosts A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places *Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman *Michel Host ( ...

, reputed to have been consecrated by

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregor ...

and

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

, were added to the relics at the ''heilige Berg''. The first documented pilgrimages to Andechs were in 1138, when Count Berthold ordered his subjects to make the journey to venerate the relics in the chapel of St Nicholas at the ''

Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...

''. The Andechs were also benefactors of

Langheim Abbey Langheim Abbey was a well-known Cistercian monastery in Klosterlangheim, part of the town of Lichtenfels in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, in the Bishopric of Bamberg. 250px, Ökonomiehof with decorated fountain at Eastern History Three bro ...

. In his struggle with the House of Wittelsbach over his Bavarian possessions, Otto II of Andechs and Merania lost his ancestral seat in Andechs. Andechs castle falls into disrepair around the middle of the 13th century and only the Chapel of St. Nicholas remains. With Otto's death in 1248, the Duchy of Merania expired. Upon the death of his uncle,

Berthold (patriarch of Aquileia) Berthold (german: Berthold von Andechs-Meran, hu, Merániai Bertold, it, Bertoldo di Andechs-Merania; ''c''. 1182 – 23 May 1251) was the count of Andechs (as Berthold V) from 1204, the archbishop of Kalocsa from 1206 until 1218, and from 1218 ...

, the House of Andechs became extinct.

The ''heilige Berg''

The legendary rediscovery of long-lost reliquaries in 1388 revived the ancient pilgrimage trade. The Andechs hosts were approved by Cardinal

Nicholas of Cusa Nicholas of Cusa (1401 – 11 August 1464), also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus (), was a German Catholic cardinal, philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer. One of the first German proponents of Re ...

, otherwise a foe of such cults of wonder hosts.

First foundation

Ernest, Duke of Bavaria Ernest of Bavaria-Munich (german: Ernst, Herzog von Bayern-München), (Munich, 1373 – 2 July 1438 in Munich), from 1397 Duke of Bavaria-Munich. Biography Ernest was a son of John II and ruled the duchy of Bavaria-Munich together with h ...

(1392–1438) built the late-Gothic collegiate church which was completed in 1423. He also named the Andechs mountain the “Heilige Berg”. At first, the church was tended by Augustinian canons from Dießen. They were replaced by Benedictine monks from

Tegernsee Abbey Tegernsee Abbey (German Kloster Tegernsee, ''Abtei Tegernsee'') is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around it, are named after the Tegernsee, the lake on th ...

in 1455. In 1458 it was raised to the status of an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

, and thenceforth enjoyed a period of uninterrupted prosperity as a popular pilgrimage site. In 1669 lightning struck the top of the tower causing a fire which burned down everything but the Chapel and the guest wing. The church was re-roofed and the monastery re-occupied two years later. The monastery was remodeled (in Baroque style) in 1712; it came under the secularization laws in 1803.

Second foundation

It was refounded in 1850 as a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

, affiliated to the Abbey of St Boniface in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

.Ott, Michael. "Andechs." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 16 (Index). New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1914. 13 November 2022 During World War II, much of St Boniface's library was sheltered at Andechs. In 1974 the monks began construction of a new monastery brewery. The present church dates from the 18th century. The 20th-century German composer

is buried there. There are also the graves of 11 members of the House of Wittelsbach inside the church, mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries. More recent burials of members of the former Bavarian Royal Family took place on a graveyard in the abbey garden, installed by

Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria (Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael; 3 May 1905 – 8 July 1996) was the son of the last crown prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht, and his first wife, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria. He was the only child from that ...

in 1977, as the royal tomb at

Theatine Church, Munich , image = MünchenTheatinerkirche a.jpg , pushpin map = Bavaria#Germany , pushpin label position = top , coordinates = , location = Salvatorplatz 2aMunich, Bavaria , country ...

had no more space. The monastery hosts a number of cultural programs including a summer organ festival, the Carl Orff Festival and various symposiums." Kloster Andechs", Simply Munich, Landeshauptstadt München
/ref> Erling, huddled at the foot of the abbey, was created as an independent town in 1818. Erling, Frieding and Machtlfing were united in 1978 as the Gemeinde Andechs.

People

Monks

* Anton Pelchinger, illustrator

Burials

, 20th-century German composer * Prince Konrad of Bavaria *

Prince Konstantin of Bavaria Prince Konstantin of Bavaria (german: Konstantin Leopold Ludwig Adalbert Georg Thadeus Josef Petrus Johannes Antonius Franz von Assisi Assumption et omnes sancti Prinz von Bayern) (15 August 1920 – 30 July 1969) was a member of the Bavarian ...

* Prince Heinrich of Bavaria (1922–1958)

References

External links

*
Five Lake County tourist information - Andechs