St. Lambrecht's Abbey

St. Lambrecht's Abbey (Stift St. Lambrecht) is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Sankt Lambrecht in the Styrian Grebenzen nature reserve in Austria. The monastery is located 1,072 meters above sea level.

The monastery was founded in 1076 by Count Markward of Eppenstein; it was dissolved from 1786 to 1805. In 1938, the building was seized by the National Socialists. From 1942 to 1945, it was used as an external storage facility of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. The monks returned in 1946.

Locally the two churches within the monastic grounds are called the Grosskirche ("big church", also known as the Stiftskirche or monastic church) and the Kleinkirche ("little church", also known from its dedication as the Peterskirche or St. Peter's church). During restoration work of the Grosskirche in the early 1970s extraordinary frescoes dating from the latter half of the 15th century were discovered on the north wall. These show the throne of Solomon. On the lowest level is depicted the Old Testament Judgment of Solomon, above this the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus, and above all else Jesus Christ: "the Word of God made Flesh" (logos). Other frescoes dating from the 14th century depict Saint Christopher and Saint Agnes. Formerly in the monastery there was also a votive altarpiece from which the Master of the Saint Lambrecht Votive Altarpiece received his name; this is now in the Alte Galerie in Graz.

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