Wettenhausen Abbey, Medieval abbey in Kammeltal, Germany
Wettenhausen Abbey is a monastery complex in Kammeltal, Bavaria, made up of a church, convent buildings, and school facilities arranged around a central courtyard. The exterior presents a mix of Romanesque foundations and a Baroque redesign that gives the whole site its current appearance.
The monastery was founded in 1101 by Countess Gertrud of Roggenstein and grew into an independent religious territory within the Holy Roman Empire. Secularization in 1803 ended that independence, but Dominican Sisters took over shortly after and have kept it active ever since.
The abbey church serves as an active parish church open to visitors, and its interior shows the decorative style typical of South German Baroque craftsmanship. Dominican Sisters still run a school on the grounds, so the sounds of daily school life mix with those of a working religious community.
The site is in active use, so it is worth checking in advance which parts are open to the public on any given day. The abbey church is generally the most accessible area and can usually be visited during service hours without prior arrangement.
The Baroque redesign of the complex was led by Michael Thumb, a master builder from the Vorarlberg school, in the late 17th century, making it one of the few surviving examples of that school's work in the region. The Vorarlberg school was known for a particular approach to wall construction and light that you can still read in the church today.
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