St. Ottilien Archabbey, Benedictine monastery in Eresing, Germany.
St. Ottilien Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Eresing featuring an abbey church with a 75-meter octagonal spire as the architectural centerpiece. The complex spreads across the Bavarian countryside with agricultural facilities, workshops, guest lodgings, a secondary school, and gardens forming an integrated community.
The monastery was founded in 1887 by Andreas Amrhein and received archabbey status in 1914, making it the motherhouse of the St. Ottilien Congregation. This development established it as a major center within the Benedictine Confederation with connections across the globe.
The monastery displays its mission work in an Art Nouveau sacristy museum with artifacts from South Africa, Korea, and China. Visitors can explore the global connections this community maintained through their religious outreach.
The monastery welcomes visitors with a publishing house, retreat spaces, guest rooms, and a museum exploring its mission history. Plan time to walk the grounds and experience the rhythm of monastic life in this rural setting.
From 1945 to 1948, the complex served as a Displaced Persons camp sheltering approximately 5,000 concentration camp survivors. During this period, around 450 babies were born within these walls, marking a time of rebuilding and hope after the war.
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