Rein Abbey

Bringing a forgotten baroque garden back to life

The engraving shows the old symmetrical baroque garden with its fountain.

(Bild: Stift Rein)

Old historical plans have been rediscovered: Cistercian monastery also revives the mythical Nymphaeum.

Only old engravings and drawings still show the monastery garden in all its baroque splendor, which was intended to delight the senses of the monks of Rein Abbey: The birds chirped, the flowers were fragrant, the fountains splashed and sprayed fountains into the air. At the heart of the wonderful, symmetrically laid out natural paradise was the nymphaeum.

This fountain sanctuary was dedicated to the nymphs - female nature spirits in ancient mythology. This is surprising, as pagan beliefs - or so one would think - had no place in Christian buildings and grounds. Today, only a weathered stone from which three of these spring nymphs have been carved reminds us of the heyday of the Reiner Stiftsgarten.

The nymph stone

(Bild: Jörg Schwaiger)

"For the Cistercians, the garden was initially a kitchen garden, but it was not until the Baroque period that it became an object of design and aesthetics," explains Abbot Philipp Helm. Of course, there was also a spiritual background: the clergy wanted to show their fellow human beings the beauty of creation. Under the aegis of the head of the monastery, the long overgrown garden, which had fallen into a deep slumber, is now being brought back to life.

Path network and flowerbeds laid out according to historical plans
During our visit, workers are busy at work: they are rebuilding the path network and flowerbeds according to the historical construction plan, and one of the five original fountains is being rebuilt as a central eye-catcher. "Building on the idea of creation, we are also giving nature free rein again," the abbot tells us, as a sea of wildflowers is already in colorful bloom. Freshly planted fruit trees will soon follow.

Abbot Philipp Helm in front of the baroque garden of the magnificent Rein Abbey, which is being redesigned according to old historical plans.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

Change of scene to the fascinating interior of the monastery founded in 1129 by the mother monastery Ebrach in Franconia (Bavaria). Abbey historian Elisabeth Brenner unlocks the door to the library for us and heads straight for its showpiece: the famous calendar table, which the monks promptly christened the Kepler table. "Astronomer Johannes Kepler probably never saw it, but he made the exact calculations for it," explains Brenner.

Stone "miracle table" for calculating the calendar
An artist from Gmunden has accurately etched the signs of the zodiac, the rising and setting of the stars, the phases of the moon and the twelve months into the heavy stone slab. "The latter images show the specific farming activities that were carried out throughout the year." Main purpose of the stone "astro-miracle": With the help of the "primitive computer", the monks were able to convert dates - such as Easter - from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.

Abbey historian Elisabeth Brenner shows the famous Kepler table in the Reiner Library

(Bild: Jörg Schwaiger)

Unfortunately no longer preserved (but at least lovingly reconstructed on a huge display panel) are the artistically crafted Gothic stained glass windows that allowed colorful light to stream into a chapel on the abbey grounds until the 20th century. The small church was not used for decades and eventually fell into disrepair, which is why the windows were removed and sold all over the world.

"Johannes Pictor, a panel painter, depicted the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and the flight of the Holy Family to Jerusalem, among other things," explains the art historian. As you can see: Rein Abbey is a complete work of art - and the new monastery garden is one of the final pieces of the puzzle.