Kloster Sankt Oswald, Benedictine monastery in Sankt Oswald, Germany

Kloster Sankt Oswald is a Benedictine monastery situated in a forested Bavarian location at about 800 meters elevation. The grounds include a parish church, historic buildings, and a natural rock spring that has been recognized for centuries.

The monastery was founded in 1396 and housed different religious communities over time, including Paulines and Augustinians, before becoming Benedictine. The community remained at the site until the early 1800s.

Each year the historic Garnsamstag is still held in St. Oswald, with a solemn pilgrims' service and a market in front of the church. The monastery itself served as a parish church and parish house from 1817, and the Gasthaus Klosterbräu still stands on the former monastery grounds.

The former monastery grounds sit in the Sankt Oswald district of Sankt Oswald-Riedlhütte, in the Bavarian Forest near the Czech border. The Gasthaus Klosterbräu occupies part of the former monastery land. The present church, rebuilt by 1882 after the 1876 fire, serves as the parish church; the site lies at roughly 800 metres, so expect hilly, wooded terrain.

The natural spring water beneath the monastery was known in medieval times for its healing properties, especially for eye and joint problems. This water drew people seeking relief from their conditions.