Wettingen-Mehrerau Abbey

The monastery's origins date back to 1083, when Count Ulrich X of Bregenz settled Benedictines from Petershausen in a hermitage in Andelsbuch. In 1090, they moved to the lakeside near Bregenz, where the foundation stone for the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was laid in 1097. Construction of the monastery church “St. Peter in der Au” was completed in 1125. In 1245, during the Investiture Controversy, the monastery was plundered and burned down by supporters of Emperor Frederick II. While the monastery largely escaped damage during the Appenzell Wars and the Swedish War, it faced secularization by the Bavarian government in 1806, leading to the demolition of many buildings and the dispersal of its library. After 1850, with imperial approval, the monastery became a refuge for Cistercians from Wettingen Monastery in Switzerland, which had closed in 1841, and was re-established in 1854 under the name “Wettingen-Mehrerau.” It played a key role in the resurgence of the Cistercian Order and founded the Mehrerau Congregation.

The Territorial Abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau is in Bregenz, in the Bregenz district, Vorarlberg, Austria, at an elevation of approximately 395 meters above sea level.

The Territorial Abbey of Wettingen-Mehrerau is an active monastery, continuously inhabited by Cistercian monks. In addition to monastic life, it operates a sanatorium and the Collegium Bernardi, a secondary school with a boarding facility. The monastery is also involved in forestry and agriculture, including a monastic farm and a nursery. Since 2009, an orchard trail around the monastery has provided information about traditional fruit varieties of the Lower Rhine Valley.