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THE HISTORY OF CONSTRUCTION
How the monastery and its grounds developed architeclurally and what it looked like between 1400 and 1700 we can see graphically on an engraving from the year 1644. In an almost equally foursided square we have the buildings for the different needs of the monastic community all
together: the living quarters for the monks, the workshops and quarters for
guests. On the East side the church is the dominating factor in the square. The church originally had a high, pointed shingle roof on its twelve-sided
structure. The twelve-sidedness still exists today. The weight is supported by flying buttresses which are joined to the edges of the twelve-sided
structure. These buttresses are built into a two-storied rotunda surrounding the church. To the East there was a small choir for the Divine Office of the
monks. In the interior of the church there was a column supporting the starshaped ribbed
vault. On this column the main altar stood.
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This basic form of the church was built between 1330 and 1370 (consecration of the church on the 5th of May) and experienced changes and additions towards the end of the 15th
century. During this time the first tower was built, whose top is now cut off and can still be seen to the right of the
dome. From the Gothic period we do not know any names of the architects; some still preserved engraved
stonernasons' symbols point to a connection to the stonemasons' lodge of the Cathedral of Regensburg. In the early 17th century there were interior innovations in decoration and
furnishings. During the period of making the church and grounds baroque extensive construction measures were taken whidh made out of the existing buildings of the monastery from the Middle Ages a layout of three
courtyards. |
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swinging, marble-faced facade and the North tower was erected. The small choir for the Divine Office of the monks was torn down and in its place the oval
monks' choir and the adjoining sacristy and library wing were built. This took place in 1724 and for the time being nothing else was done due to lack of
money. The architect of this first baroque phase of renovation was Henrico Zucalli from
Graubuenden, the court architect of the Electorate of Munich, who is reponsible for the form of the monastery and grounds even in its present
state. A fire in 1744 destroyed the church which was being rebuilt in the baroque style and large parts of the
monastery. What followed on rebuilding and new construction was done under the direction of the master builder Joseph Schmuzer of Wessobrunn and
Rottenbudh. Following the plans of Zucalli he carried out the construction of the dhurch and laid out the decorations of the
structure. This plus the furnishings of the main part of the church was completed by 1762 making it possible for the altars in the church to be consecrated in that
year. For the time being the monks' choir was separated from the main part of the church and left in shell
construction. With the exception of the dome fresco (1769) the furnishing of the choir was continued in the middle of the eighties in the style of the early
classicism. In 1790 the whole of the church was able to be used. Still incomplete were the facade and the towers of the church as well as the south side of the large courtyard in front of the church. The suppression of the monastery in 1803 resulted in further plans being
shelved. Further work finally took place with the completion of the north tower (1853) and at the turn of the century with the south tower and the
facade. The facade is even today not completed. During and after the refoundation of the monastery the parts of the monastery which had been torn down during the suppression were again
rebuilt, a final part as recently as 1972-1976. Since World War II the whole structure has received a continuing renovation and
restoration, the interior of the church from 1967 to 1969. |
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