Vorau Abbey

The monastery was founded in 1163 by Margrave Ottokar III of Traungau and his wife Kunigunde, to express gratitude for the birth of an heir. Archbishop Eberhard I of Salzburg settled Augustinian Canons Regular from the St. Rupert Cathedral Chapter. After a fire in 1237, the complex was rebuilt. King Rudolf I of Habsburg issued a letter of protection in 1277, and another fire destroyed the buildings in 1384. Pope Nicholas V allowed the abbots to wear pontifical insignia in 1452. Emperor Frederick III granted the current coat of arms in 1453 and permission to establish an armory. Provost Leonhard von Horn converted the abbey into a fortified monastery. Emperor Maximilian I granted the abbey regional jurisdiction. A plague epidemic claimed many victims from 1503 to 1505, and the Reformation led to a decline in members. Under Provost Matthias Singer, the abbey church was rebuilt from 1660 to 1662, and a pharmacy was opened in 1651. In the 18th century, a new prelature building and a library were constructed. In 1736, the abbey reached its highest membership with 46 canons. In the 19th century, schools were established, and the fortress walls were demolished in 1844. In 1940, the National Socialists dissolved the abbey and established a National Political Educational Institute, confiscating its property. After the war, the abbey was restored.

Vorau Abbey is located in the market town of Vorau in northeastern Styria, Austria. It is situated in the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld region at an elevation of approximately 698 meters above sea level.

The Augustinian Canons Regular Abbey of Vorau continues to exist today and is still run by Augustinian Canons Regular. It is an active monastery that preserves its historical and spiritual function.