950 years of Admont Abbey

Dear readers!

I am humbly proud (this contrasting pair of words is exactly fitting, as it indicates that it was and is only possible with the help of God), in other words: I am humbly proud that our house history began with a woman, Hemma of Gurk, without whom we would not even exist. In the male-dominated history of the world, God placed a female founder, St Hemma of Gurk, at the centre of our Admont Abbey. From her great wealth, above all in property - also in Upper Styria - she gave a huge portion of it to the church so that a monastery could be founded. As we know, she did not live to see the foundation of Admont here on earth, but she certainly felt satisfaction in heaven, to put it in very earthly terms, that Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg carried out her will in 1074.

Ad multos annos!

The office of the person responsible for economic matters can already be found in the Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia. In the Rule this person is known as the cellerar. So, although it was written 1500 years ago, the Rule still provides us with important impulses for entrepreneurial management culture today. In the jubilee year 2024, the groundbreaking importance of this rule for the value-oriented management of our company will become even more apparent. The Benedictine Abbey of Admont has been a spiritual, cultural and economic centre for 950 years now. This cannot be taken for granted! There have been good times and bad, even times close to ruin. And we are grateful to be able to say today: Admont Abbey is in good shape. It looks to the future with confidence - even in periods of upheaval and crisis-related challenges.

Guest Remarks & Words of Welcome

01 / 15

Holy Father Pope Francis

Vatican

Dear Abbot Gerhard, I was delighted to learn of the forthcoming celebrations marking the 950th anniversary of the Benedictine Abbey of Admont. I give thanks to God for the long and blessed work of your community in Styria and far beyond. Through the intercession of…

Dr Wilhelm Krautwaschl

Diocesan Bishop of Graz-Seckau

Gaining a glimpse of God’s greatness It would be interesting to see how Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg and Hemma of Gurk would react today, 950 years on, if they were to see the Benedictine Abbey of Admont … How surprised Hemma would be that the…

Dr Franz Lackner OFM

Archbishop of Salzburg

Almost a millennium ago, twelve monks sent from Salzburg brought the Rule of Saint Benedict to Upper Styria. Thanks to a bequest from Hemma von Gurk and the permission of Gebhard, then Archbishop of Salzburg, a monastic community was established which…

Superintendent Wolfgang Rehner

Protestant Church Styria

950 years of Admont Abbey. On this occasion, we would like to extend greetings and best wishes from the ecumenical community, particularly from the Protestant side. For half of its history, Admont Abbey has had close ties and been in close proximity to Protestants. Over the years, the nature of these interactions has been…

Johannes Perkmann OSB

Abbot President of the Austrian Benedictine Congregation

It is quite remarkable to be able to celebrate 950 years of existence, particularly in our otherwise so fleeting age, with all its „focus on the moment“ and transience. Admont Abbey, founded in 1074 by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg with the estates of St Hemma, has…

Dr Korbinian Birnbacher OSB

Archabbot of St Peter's

To my fellow monks at Admont … I am always permitted, on 15 June – the feast day of the monastery’s founder, Gebhard – to offer a spiritual message during a Eucharistic celebration. I am permitted to do so as Abbot of the very monastery which, 950 years ago, saw the first…

Hermann Glettler

Diocesan Bishop of Innsbruck

950 years! Congratulations to Abbot Gerhard and his community, and to all the people and organisations that benefit from Admont. I have deliberately chosen this economic term because it is indeed a vibrant religious centre that has set many things in motion,…

SR. Dr Hanna Jurmann OSB

Benedictine nuns Steinerkirchen

A brief period in the remarkable 950-year history of Admont Abbey is intertwined with the history of the Benedictine Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Steinerkirchen an der Traun (Upper Austria). The work of fellow sisters in Admont, as well as at Frauenberg, dates back…

SR. M. Elisabeth Barlage OSB

Frauenwörth Abbey on Lake Chiemsee

Since 2014, I have been fortunate enough to be a guest at Admont Benedictine Abbey, where I can recharge my batteries in this spiritually enriching and scenically beautiful setting. The more often I visit, the more at home I feel there. As a Benedictine nun, I am fortunate enough to live at Frauenwörth Abbey…

Dr Alexander Van der Bellen

Federal President of the Republic of Austria

Many things last a few years or perhaps decades; a few survive for centuries. Yet it is hard to imagine anything lasting for almost a millennium. The Benedictine Abbey of Admont is a very special place that has endured for such a…

Karl Nehammer, MSc

Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria

In 2024, the Benedictine Abbey of Admont will be able to look back on 950 years of existence and the rich and varied history of its development. When Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg founded the monastery in 1074 on the basis of a bequest by Saint Hemma of Gurk, he was able to…

Christopher Drexler

Governor of Styria

Since the year 1074, Benedictine monks have been living at Admont Abbey in strict accordance with the Rule of St Benedict. „Ora et labora et lege“ not only shapes daily life within the monastery, but also, through the abbey’s wide-ranging activities, extends to the whole…

HR Dr Christian Sulzbacher

District Governor of Liezen

Dear readers! In 1074 – 950 years ago – the Benedictine Abbey of Admont was founded and, over the course of this long period, has developed into a spiritual, cultural and economic centre in the Liezen district. Despite the many…

Christian Haider

Mayor of the market town of Admont

This year, here in Admont, we are delighted to be celebrating a very special anniversary together with Admont Abbey. The „950 Years of Admont Abbey“ anniversary not only marks 950 years of monastic life within the walls of Admont Abbey, but it also speaks to many…

Albert Wonaschütz

Professor at the Stiftsgymnasium Admont; director of the church choir

„Therefore we praise You with all the angels and saints, and join with them in singing the praises of Your glory.“ These words introduce the „Sanctus“, that part of the Catholic Mass Ordinary in which the union of heavenly and earthly liturgy becomes strikingly apparent…

1074 - 2024

A Journey Through Time

Monastery market days 2019 (c) Thomas Sattler 22

Embark on a journey through time ... 950 years of Admont Benedictine Abbey

To the timeline

fr. Simeon Grillenauer tempera painting 1

fr. Simeon Grillenauer tempera painting 2

HAVE THEY ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS?

Personalities of the Admont Monastic Convent in modern times

To the article...

950 Years of the Admont Benedictine Abbey – Faith, Culture & Delight

Historical review of the monastic and economic functions of the Benedictine Abbey of Admont.

Areas of responsibility

Then & Now

01 / 08

PRAYER: THE HEART OF MONASTIC LIFE

Time out in a monastery: a visit to the Benedictines

Finding a good path together

Why young men become monks

When I'm needed, I'm there

Stiftsgymnasium Admont : When tradition meets innovation

How a monastery (also) became an economic engine

Admont Abbey - agriculture and forestry through the ages

The Rule of St Benedict - the heart, hand and brain of a monastery

When the Benedictine Abbey of Admont was founded in 1074, monks and nuns had already been living according to the Rule of St Benedict all over the then known world for over 500 years.

Benedict was born around 480 in what is now Italy as the son of a rich landowner. He was sent to Rome to study, but soon abandoned his studies to live as a hermit in the mountains of Enfide. He soon attracted the attention of the people in the neighbourhood, so that the monastic community of Vicovaro elected him as their abbot.

However, the tension in this community was so great that Benedict left the monastery again after an attempt was made to kill him.

In search of the divine

Long live diversity. This is the slogan of the Admont Abbey Museum and it hits the bull's eye. A museum of contemporary art, a natural history and art history museum, a Gothic exhibition, medieval manuscripts and early prints as well as the world's largest monastery library are all united under one roof. With this wide range of offerings, originality and development work, the Abbey Museum has already been able to assert itself against many well-known institutions and even won the Austrian Museum Prize in 2005. An award for which the "Made for Admont" programme was also a decisive factor. The idea behind it: To show art that is localised in Admont. The Austrian painter Lois Renner kicked things off in 2000.