Sankt Veit Abbey

The Monastery of Sankt Veit was established in 1121 by Dietmar von Lungau in Elsenbach. In 1171, the community relocated to St. Veitsberg. Dedicated to Saint Vitus, the monastery gained the right to elect its own abbot in 1255. Towards the end of the 14th century, it experienced a period of prosperity, which culminated in the construction of a new church around 1501 under Abbot Nikolaus Humbler. The Reformation era brought a crisis, reducing the monastic community to just three members. Following a period of recovery under Abbots Andreas Sappenberger and Maurus Fröschl, despite Swedish incursions and a fire in 1639, a second flourishing period began in the 17th and 18th centuries under Abbot Gregor Westermayr. Another fire in 1708 necessitated extensive rebuilding.