Wessobrunn Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Wessobrunn, Germany

Wessobrunn Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Upper Bavaria with buildings featuring ornamental stucco work, stone carvings, and decorated interior spaces. The complex includes areas arranged around three springs that existed at the site since its earliest days.

The monastery was established in 753 and granted the status of an imperial abbey in 788, answering directly to the Carolingian crown. This special rank helped it remain an important institution throughout the medieval period.

The name Wessobrunn probably derives from "Wetsin's spring", a field name the monastery adopted; a folk reading links Wesso to a Celtic word for hunting dog. The Wessobrunn Prayer, a famous early German Christian text, was kept in the monastic library for centuries and is now in the Bavarian State Library. From the 16th century until 1803 the monks were continuously active as writers and teachers.

The former abbey grounds lie in the village of Wessobrunn, south of Weilheim in Upper Bavaria. The site is a heritage monument; the monastic church and the buildings around it are best reached on foot from the village centre. Parts of the complex are used today, so some areas may not be open to visitors. The terrain is flat, but the paths between the buildings are partly gravelled.

A nun named Diemud produced around 45 manuscripts around 1150, transforming the monastery into a center for manuscript writing. Her personal output provides rare insight into the importance of scribal work in medieval monastic life.