Kloster Herrenchiemsee

The Augustinerchorherrenstift Herrenchiemsee stands on Herrenchiemsee Island in the Chiemsee lake, near the Bavarian town of Prien. Founded in the early 7th century, it began as a Benedictine monastery before becoming an Augustinian collegiate foundation in the 12th century. The island’s church served as the cathedral for the short-lived Bishopric of Chiemsee from 1216 until 1807, when the diocese was dissolved during the secularisation of Bavaria. The site’s long history includes notable figures such as Bishop Dobdagrecus, an Irish monk brought by Virgil of Salzburg, and later abbots like Ulrich Häupl, who in 1446 gained the right to wear pontifical insignia. The collegiate church reached its peak in the 15th century and saw major rebuilding in the 17th and early 18th centuries, including a Baroque high altar by Matthias Piechlinger and a new dome by Lorenzo Sciascia. The complex also includes the Fürstenstock, designed by Antonio Riva, and the Prälaturstock, completed in 1730. Visitors today find the Alte Schloss, a former monastery turned manor house, with its Kaisersaal and historic library hall. The west wing houses a brewery museum, while the north wing displays paintings by Julius Exter. The island’s former cathedral, the Inseldom, has been restored and is open to the public at times. Surrounded by the Chiemsee’s waters and forests, the island offers quiet walks and views across the lake to the Bavarian Alps.