Metten Abbey

Metten, Germany

Metten Abbey, or St. Michael's Abbey, was founded in 766 by Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch. For many centuries Metten was under the lordship of the Dukes and Electors of Bavaria. When Charlemagne stayed in Regensburg for three years after 788, Utto turned his abbey over to the Frankish ruler, making the Ducal Abbey a Royal Abbey. After the Carolingians became extinct, Metten was turned into an Imperial Abbey. Besides the work of land clearance in the Bavarian border territories, the monks were very active in education. Members of the abbey were not only schoolteachers, but also members of the Bavarian Academy of Science in Munich and professors of philosophy and theology in Freising and Salzburg.

After secularisation in 1803 the abbey's property was confiscated, and by 1815 had all been auctioned off. Over a number of years Johann von Pronath acquired the greater part of the former premises and succeeded in persuading King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1830 to re-establish the monastery, which by 1837 had been set up to incorporate a boarding school (Gymnasium), in continuance of its educational traditions, which the monastery has run to this day.

The re-founded abbey was very active in re-settling new monasteries. Since 1858 it has been a member of the Bavarian Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation.

Besides the boarding school, the abbey runs various craft enterprises. The library, which is open for tours, contains over 150,000 volumes on theology, philosophy and history.

Dom Edmund Beck, a monk of Metten, edited many of the Syriac works of Saint Ephrem the Syrian in the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium.

A 1415 manuscript found in the abbey's library helped identify the meaning of the abbreviations for the Vade retro satana (Step back Satan) formula that appears on Saint Benedict Medals.

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Address

Abteistraße 3, Metten, Germany
See all sites in Metten

Details

Founded: 766 AD
Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Part of The Frankish Empire (Germany)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Mabel Ortiz (2 years ago)
Church is wonderful baroque, but if you want to see the library it is only possible through a guided visit at 10:00 or 15:00. ONLY IN GERMAN. The abbot in charge was not friendly at all.
Yvette Van Der Merwe (2 years ago)
The Church was open but the Liabary not. The liabary is the one you want to see, only guided tours. They only have 2 tours a day. There are no visitors signs to guid you where to go. The Church is very beautiful thought... Remember to be respectful if you go and visit.
Adriana Brzović (3 years ago)
Went to visit the baroque library. The library is lovely, but I wish they would let people take at least one photo. As far as I could tell, tours are only in German so keep that in mind.
Joyce YU (5 years ago)
It’s a great art decoration inside the church
Joseph Kanamkudam (6 years ago)
Worth seeing historical place and education center... Famous for its Library...
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