The Austrian Congregation is a congregation of

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 ...

monasteries situated in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, within the

Benedictine Confederation The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict. Origin The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...

History

The Congregation was founded on 3 August 1625 by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

, and consisted of eleven Benedictine monasteries in Austria: *

Altenburg Abbey Altenburg Abbey (german: Stift Altenburg) is a Benedictine monastery in Altenburg, Lower Austria. It is situated about to the north of Krems an der Donau in the Waldviertel. It was founded in 1144，by Countess Hildeburg of Poigen-Rebgau. Throu ...

Garsten Abbey Garsten Abbey (german: Stift Garsten) is a former Benedictine monastery located in Garsten near Steyr in Upper Austria. Since 1851, the former monastery buildings have accommodated a prison. History The abbey was founded in 1080–1082 by Ottok ...

Gleink Abbey Gleink Abbey (Stift or Kloster Gleink) was a Benedictine monastery located in the town of Steyr in Austria. The monastery was founded in the early 12th century by Arnhalm I of Glunich with monks from Garsten Abbey. Upon its dissolution in 1784 ...

* Göttweig Abbey * Kleinmariazell Abbey *

Kremsmünster Abbey Kremsmünster Abbey (german: Stift Kremsmünster) is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria. History The monastery was founded in 777 AD by Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria. According to the foundation legend, Tassilo founded th ...

Lambach Abbey Lambach Abbey (german: Stift Lambach) is a Benedictine monastery in Lambach in the Wels-Land district of Upper Austria, Austria. History A monastery was founded in Lambach in about 1040 by Count Arnold II of Lambach-Wels. His son, Bishop Adalbero ...

Melk Abbey Melk Abbey (german: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the ...

Mondsee Abbey Mondsee Abbey (german: Kloster Mondsee) was a Benedictine monastery in Mondsee in Upper Austria. History The region of the ''Mondseeland'', in which Mondsee is located, was formerly part of Bavaria. In 748 Mondsee Abbey was founded by Odilo, Du ...

Schottenstift, Vienna The Schottenstift ( en, Scottish Abbey), formally called Benediktinerabtei unserer Lieben Frau zu den Schotten ( en, Benedictine Abbey of Our Dear Lady of the Scots), is a Catholic monastery founded in Vienna in 1155 when Henry II of Austria bro ...

Seitenstetten Abbey Seitenstetten Abbey (german: Stift Seitenstetten) is a Benedictine monastery in Seitenstetten in the ''Mostviertel'' region of Lower Austria. History The monastery was founded in 1112 by Udalschalk, or Udiskalk, a relative of Bishop Ulrich of P ...

Salzburg Congregation

These were however not all the Benedictine monasteries of present-day Austria. Those in the

Diocese of Salzburg The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg ( la, Archidioecesis Salisburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, serving alongside the Archdiocese of ...

were formed in 1641 into the Salzburg Congregation, consisting of: *

Admont Abbey Admont Abbey (german: Stift Admont) is a Benedictine monastery located on the Enns River in the town of Admont, Austria. The oldest remaining monastery in Styria, Admont Abbey contains the largest monastic library in the world as well as a lon ...

Michaelbeuern Abbey Michaelbeuern Abbey (german: Abtei Michaelbeuern) is a Benedictine monastery in Dorfbeuern near Salzburg in Austria. History A monastic cell existed here as early as 736 or thereabouts, referred to in the Aachen Monastery Register(''"Klosterverze ...

* Ossiach Abbey * St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal * St. Peter's Abbey, Salzburg The diocese also then included two further monasteries, the locations of which are now in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

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 betwee ...

: * St. Vitus' Abbey on the Rott *

Seeon Abbey Seeon Abbey (german: Kloster Seeon) is a former Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Seeon-Seebruck in the rural district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany. History Seeon Abbey was founded in 994 by the Bavarian ''Pfalzgraf'' Aribo I, a ...

Salzburg was secularised and became part of Austria in 1816.

Later history

Several of these abbeys ceased to exist as a result of the dissolution of monasteries enforced by Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

in the 1780s. Some survived, however, and the 19th century brought a revival in the monastic movement. The two congregations were renewed by Pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

on 23 August 1889 as the Congregations of Mary and Joseph respectively, and were combined as the present Austrian Congregation by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City f ...

on 8 December 1930.

Present Congregation

The Austrian Congregation (as of 2006) consists of the following monasteries in Austria: *

* Göttweig Abbey *

Gut Aich Priory Gut Aich Priory (Kloster Gut Aich) is a Benedictine monastery in St. Gilgen in Austria. It was founded in 1993 and was formally recognised as an independent monastery on 11 July 2004 by the Presiding Abbot of the Austrian Congregation of the Bene ...

* St. Joseph's Priory, Maria Roggendorf * St. Lambrecht's Abbey * St. Paul's Abbey in the Lavanttal *

St. Peter's Archabbey, Salzburg St Peter's Abbey (german: Stift Sankt Peter), or St Peter's Archabbey (German: ''Erzabtei Stift Sankt Peter'', la, Archiabbatia sancti Petri Salisburgensis), is a Benedictine monastery and former cathedral in the Austrian city of Salzburg. It is ...

*Kolleg St. Benedikt (student house)

External links

Website of the Austrian Benedictines

Benedictine congregations Religious organizations established in 1625 Catholic religious institutes established in the 17th century 1625 establishments in Austria {{Austria-org-stub