A Cistercian territorial abbey on Lake Constance, answering directly to the Holy See. The site has been monastic since the early Middle Ages; it was rebuilt in 1097-98, dissolved in 1806, and resettled in 1854 by monks from the suppressed Swiss abbey of Wettingen. The abbey says its oldest parts are over 900 years old.
What it needs
The abbey is carrying out a restoration of its very large complex in four stages from 2022 to 2027, and says parts of the buildings were at risk of collapse and unusable. The first stage, the empty east tract, was planned for 2022 to early 2024; the abbey church was finished and re-blessed on 21 March 2025. The stage described in its 2025 newsletter adds five guest rooms, renews the monks' rooms and restores the St Agatha chapel. The abbey says it receives no church-tax money, that its own funds and public grants cover only part of the cost, and that it is collecting donations for the rest.
Before you act. The abbey does not publish how much has been raised or what is still missing. The total estimate dates from January 2023 and the latest statement of need from the 2025 newsletter.
Last checked 9 November 2026. Responsible body: Zisterzienserabtei Wettingen-Mehrerau (donations direct to the abbey, or via the Bundesdenkmalamt account with action code A381 for Austrian taxpayers).
In 2018 the nuns began an EU-funded project, 'Wirydarze dziedzictwa benedyktyńskiego', to convert historic buildings into a museum, library and reading room. They say costs rose by about 150% after COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, and an audit has now required the project to be settled by December 2026 instead of 2027. They are asking for 4 million PLN to finish it; if it is not settled on time the grant must be repaid with interest from 2018, which they say would be practically impossible for the abbey.
The Définitoire was damaged by fire in the 19th century, is largely disused and is described by the Fondation du patrimoine as in a state of peril; walls and roof come first. Once saved it is to house a study and research center holding the archives of the order, plus exhibition space. Works began in March 2025 and the donation drive is under half way to its target.
