Wiblingen Abbey

The foundation of Wiblingen Abbey took place in 1093 by Counts Hartmann and Otto von Kirchberg. They dedicated it in honor of Saint Martin of Tours and committed it to the Benedictine Rule. Monks from St. Blasien Abbey settled there, and in 1099, the monastery was consecrated, with Werner von Ellerbach becoming the first abbot. A relic, wooden particles from the Cross of Christ, came to Wiblingen through the Counts of Kirchberg. In 1271, a fire destroyed the monastery, necessitating a new construction in the late 13th century. After a period of decline in the late Middle Ages, the monastery experienced a renewal from the second half of the 15th century through the Melk Reform. In 1504, it came under the rule of the House of Austria. The Thirty Years' War severely affected the abbey, but under Abbot Benedikt Rauh, it managed to recover. In the 18th century, a new construction began in the late Baroque style, featuring an early Classicist church. Master builders such as Christian Wiedemann, Johann Michael Fischer, and Johann Georg Specht shaped the construction phases. The church was consecrated in 1783, but the facade and the south wing remained unfinished.