Seitenstetten Abbey, Benedictine abbey and museum in Seitenstetten, Austria
Seitenstetten Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the market town of Seitenstetten in Lower Austria. The monastic complex was built as a unified ensemble in the 18th century, while the abbey church retains Gothic elements from an earlier period.
The monastery was founded in the early 12th century and received its first Benedictine monks shortly after. Over the following centuries it was rebuilt and expanded several times, taking on its current unified form in the 18th century.
The abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation since 1625. Its garden holds about 110 rose varieties, mostly historical ones, and the picture gallery and the Romanesque Knights' Chapel are further stops on a visit. The abbey still cares for fourteen parishes that grew out of Aschbach and Wolfsbach.
The abbey can be explored on foot, with stairs and uneven ground in some areas, so comfortable shoes are a good idea. A visit can easily be combined with a walk through the monastery garden, which is also open to visitors.
The abbey holds one of the largest monastic libraries in Austria, with thousands of books that include medieval manuscripts and early printed works. Some of these items are on display in the library, which visitors can enter as part of a tour.
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