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Wilhering Abbey ((ドイツ語:Stift Wilhering)) is a Cistercian monastery in Wilhering in Upper Austria, about 8 km (5 mi) from Linz. The buildings, re-constructed in the 18th century, are known for their spectacular Rococo decoration. ==History== The monastery was founded by Ulrich and Kolo of Wilhering, who donated their family's old castle for the purpose, in accordance with the wish of their deceased father, after the family had moved to their new castle at Waxenberg. It was settled initially by Augustinian Canons, but in the first years the new foundation was beset with problems. On 30 September 1146, Ulrich replaced the canons with Cistercian monks from Rein Abbey in Styria,〔''Catholic Encyclopedia: "Cistercian Abbey of Wilhering"〕 but after less than forty years only two monks remained.〔The decline was probably mostly caused by the harsh conditions of the site, but possibly also by the transfer of the patronage from the founders' family to the Schaunberg family.〕 In 1185, Heinrich, the fourth abbot, transferred the abbey to Burkhard, abbot of Ebrach Abbey, the mother house of Rein, and the monastery was soon re-settled by monks from Ebrach, and the community was established for the future on a secure footing. Wilhering later founded Hohenfurth Abbey, today known as Vyšší Brod Abbey, in the Czech Republic (1258), Engelszell Abbey in Upper Austria (1295), and Säusenstein Abbey in Lower Austria (1334). In 1928, the monastery founded a daughter house at Apolo, La Paz in Bolivia as part of a mission drive. The abbey almost came to an end during the Protestant Reformation, when Abbot Erasmus Mayer absconded with its funds to Nuremberg, where he married. By 1585, there were no monks left at the abbey, which was only saved by the efforts of Abbot Alexander a Lacu, who was installed by the Emperor during the Counter-Reformation. The abbey buildings were almost entirely destroyed by fire on 6 March 1733.〔The monastery was deliberately set on fire by a twelve-year-old girl egged on by an idle farmhand. ("Zisterzienserstift Wilhering", p. 27)〕 Of the previous buildings, only a Romanesque doorway, parts of the Gothic cloister and two tombs remained. Abbot Johann Baptist Hinterhölzl (1734-1750) made emergency repairs to the church using the remnants of the walls. The church was later completely rebuilt in the Rococo style by Johann Haslinger of Linz, who may have been working to designs by Martino Altomonte, designer of the high altar. The ceiling and altar paintings are by Martino Altomonte and his son Bartolomeo, while the richly coloured stucco work is by Johann Michael Feichtmayr and Johann Georg Ueblherr. The result is now one of the most significant Rococo buildings in the German-speaking world. In 1940, Wilhering Abbey was expropriated by the Nazis, and the monks were expelled; some were arrested and sent to concentration camps, while others were forced into military service. The abbot, Dr. Bernhard Burgstaller, was imprisoned and died of starvation in 1941. The buildings were used at first to accommodate the seminary from Linz, and then from 1944 for displaced Germans from Bessarabia and as a military hospital. In 1945, American troops took over the premises. The monks returned in the same year to resume monastic life and to reopen the school. As of 2007, the monastic community numbered 28. Today the abbey's business enterprises—mainly forestry, farming, and greenhouses—provide a sound economic basis for the monastery.〔In former times the site on the Danube furnished the abbey with additional revenues from fishing and ferry rights.〕 Kürnberg Forest (''Kürnberger Wald''), owned by the abbey and situated between Wilhering and Linz, forms a green belt that is highly beneficial to the people of the region. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wilhering Abbey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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