Mondsee Abbey

Mondsee Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in the town of Mondsee in Upper Austria, notable for its substantial abbey church and surviving monastic buildings. The abbey precinct includes the large basilica that now functions as the town parish church and attractions for visitors.

The basilica features significant interior decoration from later rebuilding phases and is widely visited for its architecture and its appearance in cinema. The former monastic buildings house local civic functions and museum material related to the abbey’s history.

Founded in the early medieval period, the abbey developed through Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque phases before monastic life ceased and the site moved into parish and secular uses. Architectural alterations and patronage over centuries produced the present church and surviving cloistered buildings.

The abbey sits in the lakeside town of Mondsee on the eastern shore of Lake Mondsee in Upper Austria, west of the city of Salzburg.

• Film connection: The abbey church was used for the wedding scene in the film The Sound of Music, which makes it a frequent stop for film tourism.

What to See #

• Basilica of St. Michael: A large baroque-style basilica survives as the former abbey church and continues in use as the parish church; it is well known for its interior and for featuring in a major film.