Weltenburg Abbey: Chapel of St George

Weltenburg Abbey was found in the early Seventh Century by Scottish monks, who were missionaries to region. It adopted the Benedictine Rule sometimes during the Eighth Century, and was overseen by the Benedictine Orders until secularization in 1803, when it was closed shortly after being stripped of its treasures. King Ludwig I re-founded it in 1842.

For our purposes, two other dates are important. In 1050, they founded a brewery, which makes the Weltenburger Kloisterbrauerei the oldest monastic brewery in Europe, though this is subject to debate by the monks down in Freising at the Weihenstephan Abbey. I don't get into fights between monks, so no comment.

The other date is 1716, when the Asam brothers were given a commission to decorate the new church, dedicated to Saint George. This was one of the motivating factors in making this long trip, to see another of the Asam projects. Two sets of pictures of the church follow.Read more