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Arnoldstein is a former Benedictine abbey. A fortress at the site was first mentioned about 1085/90, then held by ministeriales of the Bamberg prince-bishops who had received extended Carinthian estates from the hands of Emperor Henry II on the occasion of his coronation in 1014. To strengthen his episcopal authority, Bishop Otto of Bamberg had the castle slighted and established a Benedictine convent at the site in 1106. A first abbot appeared about 20 years later. Arnoldstein Abbey was vested with extended estates in the surrounding area, from 1176 the Carinthian dukes acted as secular Vogt protectors.
The monastery complex was severely damaged by the 1348 Friuli earthquake and the convent experienced economical difficulties exacerbated by several Black Death epidemics in the following decades. In 1495 the monks leased parts of the premises to Jakob Fugger and his brothers who had smelteries and a trip hammer erected. Nevertheless, the situation worsened during the Protestant Reformation, when the convent stood at the brink of financial ruin. In the course of his Counter-Reformation measures around 1600, the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand II of Austria pursued plans to hand over the monastery to the Jesuits which however were not carried out.
The Benedictine abbey recovered but was finally abolished by a 1783 decree of Emperor Joseph II. Temporarily used as an administrative building, the monastery complex burnt down on 16 August 1883 and was not rebuilt. The abbey has laid in ruins since then, it has recently been secured and opened to the public.
References:Saint-Émilion is a picturesque medieval village renowned for its well-preserved architecture and vineyards. The town and surrounding vineyards was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, owing to its long, living history of wine-making, Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.
An oppidum was built on the hill overlooking the present-day city in Gaulish times, before the regions was annexed by Augustus in 27 BC. The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine.
Because the region was located on the route of the Camino de Santiago, many monasteries and churches were built during the Middle Ages, and in 1199, while under Plantagenet rule, the town was granted full rights.