Basilika Ottobeuren, Benedictine abbey church in Ottobeuren, Germany.
Basilika Ottobeuren is a Baroque Benedictine abbey church in the Allgäu region of Bavaria, built with three successive domes and an interior covered in white stucco and gold ornament. The attached monastery spreads across several wings arranged around the church, housing a library, state rooms, and open courtyards.
The monastery was founded in 764 and became an imperial abbey in 1299, placing it directly under the authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The current church building was constructed entirely in the 18th century and consecrated in 1766.
The church is still home to a Benedictine community that celebrates daily liturgy, and visitors are welcome to attend. The sound of plainchant in the nave gives the space a living quality that goes beyond what the eye alone can take in.
The basilica sits at the center of Ottobeuren and is open daily, with the church, monastery rooms, and museum each accessible separately. Visiting all three areas takes a good two to three hours, so it helps to plan accordingly.
Four glass shrines inside the church contain decorated skeletons brought from Roman catacombs in the 18th century and dressed with jewels and fabric. This practice was common across southern Germany at the time, and Ottobeuren is one of the few places where these objects are still on display.
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