Garsten Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Garsten, Austria
Garsten Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Austria with a High Baroque parish church and a prison facility operating within the complex. The church stands out for its elaborate Baroque interior decorations and ornamental details.
Noble Ottokar II of Styria founded the abbey between 1080 and 1082 as a community of secular canons and chose it as his family burial site. The complex grew over centuries and was later adapted for use as a prison.
The church displays Dutch tapestries and Baroque work by Pietro Francesco Carlone that have shaped religious life here for centuries. These artworks remain part of daily worship and show how the community has maintained its tradition.
A Christmas market operates seasonally on the Am Platzl Square and offers a natural entry point for visitors to explore the grounds. Accessibility is limited since parts of the compound remain an active prison facility.
The monastery theatre was dismantled in 1789 and transported to Steyr, where it was rebuilt as a town theatre. This stage became an important cultural gathering place for the region before eventually being converted into a music school.
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