Schlierbach Abbey, Baroque Cistercian monastery in Schlierbach, Austria
Schlierbach Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Schlierbach, Upper Austria, built as a four-storey pale yellow complex with dark grey roofs around a courtyard. A square clock tower with a tiered cupola and spire rises on the left wing, and a second smaller tower with a similar cupola stands to the right. The baroque rebuilding was carried out between 1672 and 1712 by members of the Carlone family.
The abbey was founded in 1355 by Eberhard von Wallsee as a convent for nuns. Around 1620, Cistercian monks took over and turned it into a monastery for men.
The abbey's cheese dairy makes St. Severin, named after Saint Severinus of Noricum, using a recipe brought by Friar Leonhard in 1920. Its stained glass workshop made the windows for the Chapel of the Resurrection in Brussels in 1907, painted by Thomas Reinhold of Vienna. The monks also serve about 18,000 Catholics in nine neighbouring parishes.
Guided tours are the best way to see the church, the cloister, and the workshops together. A restaurant on the grounds offers a good place to stop before or after the visit.
The church holds an organ built by Valentin Hochleitner starting in 1770, which is still played during services today. Attending a service is one of the few ways to hear it in a space that has changed very little over the centuries.
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