Muri-Gries Abbey

Muri-Gries Abbey, known in German as Benediktinerabtei Muri-Gries and in Italian as Abbazia dei Benedettini di Muri-Gries, is a Benedictine monastery situated in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. Established in 1845, it originated as an offshoot of the former Muri Abbey located in Aargau, Switzerland. The abbey is a member of the Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation and is particularly recognized for its wine-making enterprises.

History

The site's monastic history dates back to 1163 with the founding of an Augustinian monastery. This Augustinian convent faced destruction from floods of the Eisack river in 1406, after which Duke Leopold of Habsburg granted the canons the 11th-century castle of the Counts of Tyrol in the Gries district. A church was constructed in 1416, utilizing remnants of the keep as its bell tower. The monastery experienced a period of unrest when insurgent peasants pillaged it in 1525. The baroque collegiate church, dedicated to St. Augustine and adorned by the painter Martin Knoller, was completed in 1769. In 1807, following Tyrol's incorporation into Bavaria, the Augustinian monastery, like many others, was dissolved.

The Benedictine presence at Gries traces its lineage to the monastery of St. Martin, founded by the Habsburgs at Muri in 1027, which itself was established from the Abbey of St. Meinrad at Einsiedeln. When Swiss monasteries were dissolved in 1841, the abbot of Muri was invited to manage a cantonal college at Sarnen. The main body of the monks resided there until Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I offered them a residence at Gries, near Bozen, in an old priory formerly occupied by the Canons Regular of the Lateran and vacant since 1807. The Holy See sanctioned this transfer, with Pope Gregory XVI confirming the relocation of the Muri community to Gries via a Brief dated September 16, 1844.

Present Day

Muri-Gries Abbey is an active member of the Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monks successfully preserved a significant portion of their library from the original Muri Abbey, and the current library also incorporates items from the earlier Augustinian community. The abbey's bell tower now houses the Nativity Scene Museum. The abbey sustains itself through various agricultural ventures, including vineyards, fruit orchards, a farm, meadows, and woods. The area that once served as the Augustinian seminary now accommodates the abbey's winery.