Geras Abbey

The monastery was founded in 1153 by Ekbert and Ulrich II of Pernegg. It was settled as a daughter monastery of Seelau with canons and originally formed a double monastery with the nearby convent of Pernegg. Over the centuries, the abbey experienced numerous destructions and plunders, including by King Ottokar II Přemysl in 1278, during the Hussite Wars between 1419 and 1436, and by Hungarian troops in 1486. The Thirty Years' War also left its mark, when the monastery was set on fire in 1620. Under Abbot Benedict Lachen, reconstruction began in 1625, which continued under Abbot Johannes Westhaus. In the early 18th century, the abbey church burned down, but under Abbot Nikolaus Zandt, the abbey received its current appearance between 1730 and 1746 through the work of renowned artists such as Joseph Munggenast and Paul Troger. The Josephine reforms in the late 18th century led to the dissolution of Pernegg Abbey and the transfer of its parishes to Geras. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the monastery was also affected by wars and occupation periods. Between 1990 and 1994, the buildings and gardens underwent extensive renovation.

Stift Geras is situated in the market town of Geras in the Horn district of Lower Austria, Austria, at an elevation of approximately 466 meters above sea level.

Today, Stift Geras remains an active Premonstratensian monastery. It serves 23 parishes and hosts art courses. In the buildings of the former Pernegg Abbey, Stift Geras has operated a fasting and seminar center since 1995. Furthermore, since the Middle Ages, fish farming has been practiced in the surrounding waters, for which some medieval fish ponds and an old fish cooler are still in use.

• Schloss Oberhöflein (castle, approx. 4960 m away)
• Schloss Starrein (castle, approx. 7868 m away)
• Kloster Pernegg (monastery, approx. 8140 m away)
• Burgruine Pernegg (castle ruin, approx. 8267 m away)