Zwiefalten Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Zwiefalten, Germany.
Zwiefalten Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Zwiefalten, south of Reutlingen. Its Baroque buildings, erected from 1739 under Johann Michael Fischer, centre on a church with a white facade and two tall dark domed towers topped with golden crosses. A long wing with rows of small square windows extends to the right, and lower red-roofed structures cluster at the base.
The monastery was founded in 1089 and gradually became an important religious center in the region. Over time it gained independence, eventually becoming a free abbey in the 18th century.
The abbey church holds a Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary from 1430, later given Baroque additions around 1750 by sculptor Johann Joseph Christian. Its ceiling frescoes are by Franz Joseph Spiegler, regarded as his best work. The monastery lies on the Upper Swabian Baroque Route.
The building sits in a rural area south of Reutlingen and is easy to spot from the surroundings. Keep in mind that parts of the complex still serve as a hospital today, while the church remains open to visitors.
The abbey's medieval treasury preserves a jewelled staurothek from the 11th century and a reliquary cross set with rock crystal from the 12th century. The monk Ortlieb began writing the monastery's history in the early 12th century, and Abbot Berthold continued it to 1137–38.
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