Schönbühel Abbey

The former Servite Monastery of Schönbühel is located on a rock 500 m downstream from Schönbühel Castle (in Schönbühel) on the right bank of the Danube. It was built starting in 1666 and had to be abandoned in 1980 due to a shortage of priests.

In 1666, Count Conrad Balthasar von Starhemberg (1611/12-1687), owner of Schönbühel Castle and extensive properties in the Dunkelsteinerwald and Waldviertel, called the Servites to Schönbühel to build a monastery on the ruins of the rock popularly known as Teufelsgschloß (Devil's Castle). Conrad Balthasar is the father of Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, who made a name for himself as the defender of Vienna during the Second Turkish Siege. This Teufelsgschloß was probably the remains of a medieval Danube watchtower. Legends also surround these walls. Regarding the origin of the monastery, Dr. Plöckinger's "Wachausagen" (Wachau Legends) states, for example:

"At the site of the small Schönbühel monastery on the Danube, there once stood a knight's castle on the rock rising from the Danube. But it was already completely dilapidated; spirits haunted it. The pious Count Starhemberg, the lord of Schönbühel Castle, had the small monastery built for the Servites to end the haunting."

In the very year of their calling, construction of a Holy Sepulchre Chapel began, and on Christmas Eve of 1667, the first mass was read. In 1669, a Calvary was added. In this year, a parish was also established in Schönbühel with the castle church as the parish church. This parish was also cared for by the Servites.

From 1670 to 1673 or 1675, a replica of the Grotto of Bethlehem was built. This construction goes back to Eleonora de Gonzaga, widow of Emperor Ferdinand III, who thereby fulfilled a request from Count Conrad Balthasar. She obtained plans of the original and chose the location near Schönbühel, as "this site is very similar to that in Bethlehem, and no more convenient opportunity could be found far and wide to establish this holy devotion." The foundation of the convent for 5 priests and 2 lay brothers became legally effective in 1672. Thereafter, the monastery was part of the small pilgrimage sites of the baroque Austria sacra. The replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was immediately very popular and was visited by many pilgrims. Among them was Emperor Leopold I in 1675. Many processions from the surrounding towns to the pilgrimage church arose in the subsequent period. When the plague epidemic reached its peak in 1679, the reputation of the Schönbühel pilgrimage solidified, as the church is dedicated to Saint Rosalia, the patron saint of plague victims. A Scapular Confraternity was founded, and "Miracle Books" report several answered prayers in cases of illness.

The monastery experienced a golden age until the Josephine era. Since 1786, the monastery's pilgrimage church has also been the parish church, as the castle church and the castle itself increasingly fell into disrepair. The interventions in spiritual life, the restrictions on baroque pilgrimages and devotional practices, and the reduced number of priests led to a crisis for the monastery. The dissolution of the convent had already been decided but was then rejected again because the parish rights lay with the monastery church.

During the Coalition Wars in 1805 and 1809, the monastery was plundered by French troops. This, along with the loss of endowments, put the monastery in a difficult situation. Church and monastery buildings were neglected and began to decay. In the 19th century, the dissolution of the monastery was considered several times. Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, later Empress Sisi, visited the monastery in 1844. This scene is also recreated in the first part of the Sissi films. The renovation of the buildings began in 1967 and stopped the impending decay. From 1904, the monastery could no longer be staffed due to a shortage of priests and was taken over by the Tyrolean province of this order. In 1980, the Servite monastery had to be abandoned due to a shortage of priests. In accordance with the foundation agreement, the monastery buildings were returned to the castle.

The church facilities continue to serve Catholic pastoral care and can be visited. The Schönbühel parish has been managed by Melk Abbey since its abandonment by the Servites. The monastery is connected to the village by a footpath. The monastery is an early Baroque building that has hardly been altered. With its simple forms, it blends perfectly into the Danube landscape. From the cemetery, located above the right Danube bank road, there is a beautiful view over the Danube and to Schönbühel Castle and Monastery.