Das Bistum Augsburg 2. Die Benediktinerabtei Wessobrunn

The present volume follows the proven handbook format of the Germania Sacra series and records and evaluates all the available sources. The work provides information on the hierarchy within the monastery, the history of its possessions, and its general historical status. For many centuries, the monks of Wessobrunn dedicated themselves equally to economic and cultural activity. The foundation dates back to the 8th century, and among other distinctions was home to the "Wessobrunner Prayer," the earliest Old High German alliterative poem. Building work in the monastery reached its climax in the 17th and 18th centuries through sponsorship of local stuccoists and the scholarly activities of the monastic community. Secularization put a sudden end to this thriving institution; the monastery church was demolished and the important works of art in it were either sold or destroyed.