Where history comes alive – Speinshart Monastery as a place for culture, spirituality, and academic discourse
Speinshart – where knowledge meets tomorrow
A place to think ahead
The origins of Speinshart Monastery date back to the mid-12th century.
According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 1145 by Adelvolk von Reifenberg and his wife Richenza, together with the aristocratic brothers Reinhold and Eberhard von Reifenberg. The foundation was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as depicted in the fresco in the entrance of monastery church’s, which shows the founders offering a model of a Romanesque basilica to the Mother of God.
Over the following centuries, Speinshart Monastery steadily grew in importance.
Under the leadership of Provost Georg Ochs von Gunzendorf (1457–1505), the monastery flourished. In 1459 it was elevated to the status of an abbey by the general chapter of the Premonstratensian Order, and in 1460 Pope Pius II conferred the episcopal insignia—ring, staff, and miter—upon its abbot. During this time the abbey also took on a prominent role in church reform and became a motherhouse for Premonstratensian monasteries in Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary.
However, the Reformation brought significant challenges to Speinshart …
… and the election of Johann von Egloffstein as abbot in 1522 marked the beginning of a period of decline, as no new members joined the community and financial difficulties mounted.
By the mid-16th century, the Reformation had firmly taken root in the region and abbot Johann von Gleißenthal, his successors, and the remaining monks were gradually integrated into the Protestant administration under pressure from the ruling Elector of the Palatinate. By 1556, Speinshart had effectively become a Protestant institution, and the monastery’s assets fell increasingly under state control. The final formal dissolution was a drawn-out process that continued into the later decades of the century.
Despite this secularization, Speinshart remained nominally in existence, mainly for administrative reasons. It was not until 1661, following the Counter-Reformation and the restoration of Catholic rule in the region, that the Premonstratensians were able to return. The monastery was re-established with the support of the Electorate of Bavaria, and life within the abbey gradually revived!
The late 17th and 18th centuries saw a remarkable period of renewal.
Several abbots oversaw extensive construction and decorative work, transforming the monastery into an outstanding example of Bavarian Baroque architecture.
Abbot Gottfried Blum (1691–1711) and his successors, particularly Abbot Dominikus I. von Lieblein (1734–1771), were instrumental in this cultural flowering. The magnificent monastery church, richly decorated with frescoes, stucco work, and sculptures, bears witness to this era of prosperity and artistic achievement.
This second golden age came to an end with the secularization of Bavaria in 1803, which led to the monastery’s dissolution for a second time. Its buildings passed into state ownership, and monastic life ceased once again.
Only in the 20th century did Speinshart experience a new beginning.
The monastery shines in new splendor
After lengthy negotiations, Premonstratensians from the monastery of Windberg resettled Speinshart in 1921, and the abbey was officially re-established in 1923. Throughout the decades that followed, the community rebuilt both spiritually and physically, gradually restoring the historic buildings, including the church and living quarters. Extensive restoration projects in the late 20th and early 21st centuries culminated in the completion of a full-scale renovation by 2017.
Today, Speinshart Monastery stands once again as a vibrant center of spiritual life, historical heritage, international cultural and scientific discourse.
