Abbey of Echternach, 7th-century Benedictine monastery in Echternach, Luxembourg
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery built around a basilica with Romanesque features, set along the Sauer River in eastern Luxembourg. The complex includes residential wings, cloisters, and various monastic buildings that developed over many centuries.
Irish missionary Willibrord founded the monastery in the late 600s with land donated by Irmina of Oeren, establishing one of the region's earliest religious communities. The monastery later became an important center for manuscript production during the Carolingian era.
The monastery became a center of local pilgrimage, with people seeking spiritual help at the tomb of Saint Willibrord inside the basilica. This connection between the place and visitors continues today through annual processions that bring crowds to experience the religious significance of the site.
The monastery sits next to the Sauer River and is easily reached on foot from Echternach's town center, with the basilica and surrounding areas freely accessible. To learn more about the history and collections, visitors can join guided tours or explore the monastery museum.
The Whit Tuesday hopping procession draws crowds of participants who move through town streets in a distinctive rhythm of three steps forward and two steps backward. This unusual tradition remains one of Europe's most recognizable religious processions, recognized by many as a living folk custom.
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