Beuron Archabbey

Beuron Archabbey (Erzabtei St. Martin zu Beuron) is a working Benedictine monastery in the scenic Upper Danube Valley in southwestern Germany, set among pale limestone cliffs and forests. Its Baroque abbey church and the richly painted Chapel of Grace gave their name to the "Beuron School," a distinctive style of religious art that spread to churches around the world. It is a peaceful stop on a road trip or bike tour along the Danube, with free entry and Gregorian chant every evening.

History

An Augustinian priory stood here from the 11th century until secularization in 1803. The current church, a late Baroque design by Matthäus Scharpf, was built 1732–1738. In 1862 the brothers Maurus and Placidus Wolter revived monastic life with support from Princess Katharina of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; the community became an abbey in 1868 and an archabbey in 1887. During Bismarck's Kulturkampf the monks were forced into exile from 1875 to 1887. Today Beuron heads a congregation of Benedictine monasteries in Germany, Austria and Denmark. The philosopher and saint Edith Stein was a frequent guest between 1927 and 1933.

What to See

• Abbey Church of St. Martin: a bright Baroque interior; the high altar shows the Coronation of the Virgin, swapped for a Nativity scene at Christmas.
• Chapel of Grace (Gnadenkapelle): begun in 1898 and decorated in the Beuron style, a stylized blend of early Christian and Byzantine influences developed by monk-artist Desiderius Lenz.
• The crypt: burial place of Beuron's abbots, reopened after restoration.
• The organ: a 57-stop instrument from 1984.
• The monastery library, with about 405,000 volumes, is considered the largest of any German monastery.

Opening Hours

As of October 2026, the church and Chapel of Grace are open daily 5 a.m.–8:15 p.m. (Tuesdays until 6:30 p.m.), and entry is free. The monks sing Vespers in Latin daily at 6 p.m., a highlight for many visitors. Group tours can be booked with the abbey. The monastery shop is open daily, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. from May to October and 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. from November to April.

How to Get There

Beuron has its own station on the Danube Valley railway between Donaueschingen and Ulm, so you can arrive by regional train with the Deutschlandticket. Bus 450 links Tuttlingen and Sigmaringen via the "Kloster Beuron" stop. By car from Stuttgart, take the A81 (exit Tuningen) and Tuttlingen; day visitors use two paid municipal parking lots below the church.

Is It Worth Visiting?

Yes, particularly if you combine it with the Upper Danube Valley Nature Park, one of the most dramatic river landscapes in southern Germany, with cliff-top viewpoints, castles and the Danube Cycle Path. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the abbey itself. If you want to experience monastic life more deeply, the abbey's guest wing offers overnight stays.