The origins of the Black Forest monastery of St. Blasien are largely shrouded in mystery. Monks are said to have moved to the Alb valley as early as the 9th century, founded the >>cella alba<< with a few huts and lived according to the rule of St Benedict. The monastery was repeatedly struck by misfortune, especially by fires, but these also ensured that it was rebuilt larger and more beautifully each time. In 1322, for example, a fire destroyed the abbey and with it all the writings and documents from the early days, in 1526 the peasants destroyed the monastery and in 1634, during the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes invaded and caused severe devastation.
Under the 43rd Abbot of St. Blasien, Franz II Schächtelin (amt.1727-1747), who was elevated to the rank of Imperial Prince by Emperor Franz I in 1746, and - even more so - under Prince-Abbot Martin II. Gerbert (amt.1764-1793), St. Blasien experienced a period of prosperity that made the construction and, after the great fire of 1768, the reconstruction of the extensive baroque complex and the early classicist monastery cathedral possible in the first place.
Find out more about the origins of the monastery, from the 9th century to the present day - marvel, learn, ask, understand. The monastery guides will accompany you through the rooms of the former Benedictine abbey and give you an impressive insight into the history of the monastery.