Fürstenzell Abbey

The Fürstenzell Monastery was founded in 1274 by Magister Hartwig, a canon of Passau, with the support of Duke Heinrich XIII of Lower Bavaria, whose title is reflected in the name “Fürstenzell”. The first Cistercian monks moved here from Aldersbach in the same year. Initially dedicated to Saint Lawrence, the patronage later shifted to Saint Mary. In the 18th century, under the abbots Abundus II, Stephan III, and Otto II, the monastery experienced a golden age during which the current church was newly constructed. The monastery was dissolved in 1803 as part of the secularization.

The former Fürstenzell Monastery is located in the municipality of Fürstenzell, which belongs to the Bavarian district of Passau. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 356 meters above sea level in the picturesque landscape of Lower Bavaria.

After secularization, the abbey church was re-designated as a parish church, while the monastery buildings initially passed into private ownership. Later, from 1930, Marists used the property as a missionary seminary and founded a gymnasium with a boarding school there. Today, part of the buildings serves as a spiritual education center for the Diocese of Passau, and the impressive monastery church with its Baroque artworks continues to be a point of attraction.

• Ortenburg Castle (Castle, approx. 7357 m away)
• Pillham Castle (Castle, approx. 7588 m away)
• Kleeberg Castle (Castle, approx. 8390 m away)
• Collegiate Church of St. Veit, Eholfing (Monastery, approx. 8476 m away)