Rein Abbey () is a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery in Rein near

Gratwein Gratwein () was a municipality of Austria, merged in 2015 to form Gratwein-Straßengel in the district of Graz-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the ...

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

, in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Also known as the "Cradle of Styria" (''"Wiege der Steiermark"''), it is the oldest surviving Cistercian community in the world.

History

The monastery was founded in 1129 by Margrave Leopold the Strong of

and settled by monks from

Ebrach Abbey Ebrach Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in Ebrach in Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany, and the site of a young offenders' institution. History Abbey The abbey, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Nicholas, ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

under the first abbot, Gerlacus. It was the 38th Cistercian monastery to be founded. The previous 37 are all since dissolved, leaving Rein as the oldest extant Cistercian monastery in the world. The abbey has remained a Cistercian community ever since on the same site, except for the temporary exile of a few years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when the premises were confiscated by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

and the monks were evicted until they were able to return in 1945. Rein was the mother house of Wilhering Abbey near

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

in 1146, and later of

Stična Abbey Stična Abbey (, also ; , Latin: ''Sitticum'') is the oldest monastery in Slovenia. It is the only Cistercian order, Cistercian monastery in the country still operating (the other was Kostanjevica Abbey in Kostanjevica na Krki). Its mother house ...

and Neukloster Abbey. On 19 September 1276 the abbey was the scene of the Rein Oath (), when the Styrian and Carinthian nobility pledged allegiance to Rudolf of Habsburg,

King of the Romans King of the Romans (; ) was the title used by the king of East Francia following his election by the princes from the reign of Henry II (1002–1024) onward. The title originally referred to any German king between his election and coronatio ...

, thus furthering the establishment of the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

as rulers of Austria and the end of the rule of King

Ottokar II of Bohemia Ottokar II (; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Austria, Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his death in 1278 ...

. From 1950 to 1990 the community at Rein also accommodated the exiled Cistercians of Hohenfurt Abbey in the former

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, and during that time was known as Rein-Hohenfurt Abbey, until the Czech monks were eventually able to return to the reopened monastery in the present

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, now Vyšší Brod Abbey. The abbey also accommodated overflow classes from a local '' Gymnasium'' from the 1950s to the 1970s, and lent part of its outbuildings for the use of the ''Institut für künstlerische Gestaltung'', part of the ''Technische Universität Graz''. As of 2014, the Monastery has lent part of its outbuildings t
Bundesgymnasium Rein

Buildings

The abbey church and conventual buildings are of Romanesque origin. At the beginning of the 17th century an upsurge in numbers required the expansion of the conventual buildings. The alterations, which involved the redevelopment of the old

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

s, were carried out between 1629 and 1632 by the architect Bartholomäus di Bosio, who constructed the ''Neues Konvent'' with its courtyard and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

arcading. Under Abbot Placidus Mailly (1710-1745) it was decided to refurbish the church in

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. The work, by the court builder Johann Georg Stengg from

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

, was completed between 1738 and 1747. The frescoes, dating from 1766, were by Josef Adam von Mölk, and the painting on the high altar (of the Adoration of the Shepherds) of 1779, by Martin Johann Schmidt. Since 1786 the abbey church has also been the parish church. It was elevated to a

basilica minor Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1979. The buildings were damaged by a great flood in 1975. In the summer of 2006 during restoration work in the Baroque choir chapel archaeological excavations were carried out by a team from the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

, and the foundations of the former Romanesque

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

were discovered, as well as a number of graves, including that of the founder, Margrave Leopold I of Styria. The former Baroque

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was dedicated by the abbot as a

Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

on 4 February 2007, since when the abbey's oldest madonna has been placed here. The Gothic Chapel of the Cross, built 1406–1409, commemorates Saint

Eberhard of Salzburg Eberhard was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria from 1146 until his death in 1164. Life Eberhard was born to a noble family of Nuremberg, Germany; he became a Benedictine in 1125 at Pruffening, Germany. Later he was made Abbot of Biburg near Re ...

, who died at Rein on 22 June 1164. Other features of note include the abbots' gallery, containing portraits of all the abbots from 1129 onwards, St. Ulrich's church, the tomb of Margrave Ottakar III of

(son of the founder), and the monument of

Ernest, Duke of Austria Ernest the Iron-Willed (; 1377 – 10 June 1424), a member of the House of Habsburg, ruled over the Inner Austrian duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola from 1406 until his death. He was head of the Habsburg Leopoldian line from 1411. Bi ...

(d. 1424).

Library

The abbey library, comprising more than 100,000 items, contains inter alia 390 manuscripts and 150

incunabula An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...

, of which the best known is a 13th-century fragment of ''

Parzival ''Parzival'' () is a medieval chivalric romance by the poet and knight Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) ...

''.

Community

In 2007 the community consisted of ten monks and the abbot, Petrus Steigenberger, who was the 56th abbot since the foundation. As of 2014 the community consists of sixteen monks and the abbot, Christian Feurstein, who is the 57th abbot since the foundation. Stift Rein Hornwerk.jpg, Abbey church Stift Rein Kirche Fassade Chor.JPG, Abbey church western choir Stiftskirche Rein - Innenraum 2.JPG, Abbey church interior Stift_Rein_Stiftshof.jpg, Abbey courtyard Gratwein-Straßengel - Stiftskirche, Hochaltar.JPG, High altar Stiftskirche Rein - Innenraum 1.JPG, Basilica interior Stift_Rein_Painting.jpg, Ceiling painting Stift_Rein_Torbogen.jpg, Arms and supporter on the arch over the gateway

Notes

Sources and external links

Stift Rein

University of Graz: Report on the Archaeological Investigations 2004-006
{{Authority control Cistercian monasteries in Austria Monasteries in Styria 1129 establishments in Europe Basilica churches in Austria Christian monasteries established in the 1120s Tourist attractions in Styria Burial sites of the House of Habsburg Burial sites of the House of Babenberg