Ossiach Abbey

Ossiach Abbey stands beside Lake Ossiach in Carinthia, a former Benedictine monastery now partly in ruins. The site mixes Romanesque walls, Gothic vaults and Baroque stucco from different centuries. A Romanesque church with a crossing tower was first recorded in 1215. After a fire in 1484 the abbey was rebuilt in Late Gothic style. Later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, monks added elaborate stucco work by craftsmen of the Wessobrunner School. The abbey is worth the journey for its layered history and one famous legend. Count Ozi founded the monastery around 1024, making it the first Benedictine house in medieval Carinthia. The church’s crossing tower still rises above the nave, a remnant of the original Romanesque plan. In 1783 Emperor Joseph II dissolved the monastery, and the buildings served as barracks and stables for over a century. A Polish king’s legend clings to the northern church wall, where a marble relief marks the supposed tomb of King Bolesław II. Visitors find the Romanesque nave and Gothic vaults under an open sky. The crossing tower frames views of the surrounding mountains. Inside the church, two stained glass windows were donated by Karl May in 1905. A painted epitaph above the relief shows scenes from the king’s penance. Outside, a memorial stone placed by Polish servicemen in 1946 stands near the abbey walls. The site hosts part of the annual Carinthian Summer music festival.