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.