Ora et labora: On the Praying and Working of the Monastic Brothers

Themed tour with Kurt Lindner The Cistercians believed that the path to God leads only through prayer and hard work. They wanted to sustain themselves through their own labor, primarily through agriculture and livestock farming. Manual labor was justified as part of asceticism. For the mostly noble choir monks, work must have been a particular challenge. Working in the fields or in construction, in the garden, in the kitchen, or in the scriptorium were all part of monastic daily life. The "Ora et labora" meant that alongside a life dedicated to God, there was also a commitment to practical action. Together with tour guide Kurt Lindner, we will take a walk starting from the cloister, followed by the church, the roof structure, the monastery courtyard, and the abbey garden. The architectural artistry of the monks in the late Romanesque monastery church, in the cloister, as well as in the Gothic roof structure with its elaborate wooden joints is truly remarkable. The themed tour provides fascinating insights into the daily lives of the monks and lay brothers in their own monastery courtyard and the abbey garden, just as the monks once experienced it as a place of inspiration and edification.