The Benedictine Abbey of Kloster Ettal or Ettal Abbey is also otherwise known as the Abbey to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. It is located in the Upper Bavaria region in a village which is known as Ettal. It is a part of the Bavarian Congregation. To reach the village of Ettal you will have to travel ten kilometres northwards from Garmisch-Partenkirchen and go southeast of Oberammergau. The Abbey receives a massive footfall of tourists and believers throughout the year and for that purpose many monastery farms, inns, hotels and schools with boarding facilities have sprouted in and around the region. Here you will also find a famous publishing house along with a distillery and a brewery all managed and run by the church community.
History, Tradition and Design
Kloster Ettal is known to have been founded in the year 1330 as a Benedictine monastery and in today’s times, the region has become a major tourist attraction.
Ludwig of Bavaria on the auspicious day of St. Vitalis of Milan that is on the 28th of April 1330 established the Abbey which ran in consonance with a vow that he had earlier undertaken. This was to become not only a centre for faith but also connect the further southern European regions with Ettal and open up the area. Moreover, this move by Ludwing of Bavaria not only made the region a matter of strategic importance and a major trading centre by connecting the region with Augsburg and Verona but also satiated a certain dispute on the matters of faith which he held with the Avignon Pope John XXII. This conflict later on was rereads to have had more of political roots than on the matters of faith.
As per the stories, what had happened was that the horse of Ludwig of Bavaria had three times genuflected on the particular site where the statue of Virgin Mary which was also known as the statuette of Frau Stifterin or Ettal Madonna was located. It was the original church building of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin where today you can find the Pisano School. Initially it was this statue which had attained an important status among the pilgrims who would flock here. Therefore a Benedictine double monastery was built and within the building complex there were two separate sections for both men and women and a house for the Teutonic Knights.
It was built in between 1330 and 1370 under the aegis of the Gothic tradition. The structure was modest when compared with the other grand churches of medieval Bavaria. It was ordained by the Freising Prince bishop Paul on the 5th of May 1370. The church complex was planned and designed to have a twelve-sided floor design. The church complex manged to survive the violence of the Thirty Year’s War which was fought between 1618 and 1648 but during the age of Reformation the church building suffered massive amounts of damage when it was attacked by the army of Maurice of Saxony.
As the 18th century approached, the golden age of Ettal commenced under the guiding light of Abbot Placidus Seiz II. He is the one who took over the control in 1709 and also established the Knights Academy which in German is known as: Ritterakademie. From this point onwards the church underwent a certain transformation and veered towards an educational tradition. Interestingly, during the Spanish War of Succession fought between 1701 and 1714 Max II Emanuel is known to have brought the miraculous image, the statue of Mary on April the 12th of 1704 and prayed here for over ten consecutive days. This statue then moved on to the other various churches of Munich and came back to Ettal during the spring of 1705.
There was also a massive fire in 1744 which consumed the church and the abbey almost completely and thus underwent a spectacular rebuilding within the Baroque stylisation. A double-shelled dome was constructed which was the brain child of the Swiss-Italian architect from Munich: Enrico Zuccalli. He was a profoundly skilled and a student of Bernini. Furthermore, the decorations of the church were carry-forwarded by Josef Schmutzer who affiliated himself with the Wessobrunn School. Also, the altar pieces and the chancel were designed by Johann Baptist Straub, and the ceiling paintings were the creation of Johann Jakob Zeiller. With the completion of the church its importance grew and reached new heights among the pilgrims and thus became a crucial monastery of the Alpine region.
With the secularisation of the Bavarian region, in 1803 the Abbey was dissolved and most of the churches property was sold off. Josef von Elbing had initially acquired the church property in 1809 and later-on his descendants sold the acquired properties to a certain Count Pappenheim. He renovated the façade, the twin bell towers and minor buildings of the church complex.
Furthermore, by the time the new century approached the buildings were again sold to Baron Theodor von Cramer-Klett in 1898 and in 1900 he donated the building to the Benedictines of the Scheyern Abbey. He is credited to having re-establishing the monastery here and thus formalising its membership among the Bavarian Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. In 1920 the status of basilica minor was granted to the abbey church of Ascension.
During the winters of 1940-41 the renowned German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer visited the monastery as the guest of the Abbot. Him and a number of others were considered to have conspired against Hitler. One of his colleagues, Rupert Mayer, a Catholic priest remained house arrested within the confines of the monastery for almost six years between 1939 and 1945.
Kloster Ettal, in 1993 re-founded Wechselburg Abbey in Saxony as a Benedictine priory. It was a much older monastery of the Augustinian Cannon. Today, you will also find the Byzantine Institute there. It was all possible due to the immense contributions made by the Patriarch Joannes Hoeck, the Abbot of Ettal. The recent times saw (2010) the monastery appearing in the news for rather uncanny accusations of sadistic beatings, molestation and sadism and sexual misconduct made on boys. In the light of such events the authorities raided the complex during the month of March in 2010. As a result it was found that major abuses took place during the later parts of 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. These events had quite extremely hampered the image of Kloster Ettal.
The church is more or less self-funded. It has its very own brewery, distillery, bookstore, an art publishing house, a hotel, a cheese factory which runs on joint venture and many small scale companies. It is in-fact through the distillery here that the famous Ettaler Kloster Liqueur is produced along with a few herbal verities of liqueurs. The church still continues with the Ritterakademie tradition and the secondary school that the church established comes under this very tradition of teaching. It specialises in modern languages and a range of subjects from the humanities background. They also provide their students with boarding facilities. Among the most notable alumni’s of this school include the following:
- Karl Joseph von Firmian,
- Duarte Nuno,
- Duke of Braganza,
- Franz, Duke of Bavaria,
- Diplomat Rupprecht von Keller and others.
More about the architecture and design
The central structure which was moulded in high Gothic traditions, for a very long time it was considered to be something unusual. The original Gothic building was shaped like a polygon with twelve sides and had a diameter of 25.3 meters, and had a two-storied cloister surrounding. Moreover, after the fire incident the remodelling procedure changed the physicality of the church buildings a little bit.
The church has a convex rounded façade which was completed first during the construction process of 1894 and 1901. It opened right behind the cloister opening. It is upon this structure that the Baroque dome was framed with the help of several pillars. The flanks are triaxle and have concave curves. Furthermore, these structures are crowned by two different towers, one on the northern and the other on the southern ends. On the southern side of the dome lies the bell tower which is known to have been placed there sometime around 1563. You will not find the monastic buildings from the 18th century as they have largely been removed and most of the housing buildings were created during the 20th century itself.
As far as the interiors are concerned, they are rotund and have been painted using a bright colour scheme. The paintings and plasters have been designed in such a manner that they seem to flow right into the frescoed dome, they picturise the coronation of Benedict before the throne of the triune God. The arches of the choir carry illustrations of the scenes which led to the foundation of the monastery. The image is that of Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria who is shown receiving the statuette of Mary from St. Benedict. This statue is in marble and is placed in the tabernacle of the high alter. Moreover, the altarpieces were also designed on the similar lines, representing the Assumption as per the designs of Martin Knoller.
Why visit Kloster Ettal?
Well there is the endless beauty of the German Alpine and the fascinating historical milieu of the region. Moreover, if these are not satisfying enough, then the distillery definitely would. Beer lovers can try their hands on the famous Ettaler Klosterbiere (Ettal Brewery) and get addicted to the freshly brewed nectars. Here, the monks themselves brew using the locally frown malts and hops along with the clear, pure Bavarian water from the Bavarian Alps. Reaching Ettal can be a journey of a life time indeed. It can be reached by travelling along the Alpine road and there are so many places and sights to witness along this famous German driveway.
Though, most of the monastery is not still open for general public viewing, a special permit can be received for this purpose but of-course your stars should be in favour. The monasteries buildings are an architecture marvel in their own right. After you will be done gazing and admiring the exterior façade, the interior of the basilica, which is open throughout the year can and must be visited just to witness the Baroque frescos, along with the dazzling alter pieces and the chancel.
Near about Ettal you will find the German Alps and the many lakes which provide ample opportunities to adventure seekers for their indulgence. The region is also famous for its hiking terrains and cycling paths, golf courses, and summer and winter activities. The nearby town of Oberammergau can also be visited which is renowned for its local arts and crafts, passion plays and beautiful architecture. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is another town which can be of interest to some who wish to further explore regional history and culture in detail. Here you can find museums, churches and a whole range of health and wellness spas.