Stams Abbey

The History of Stams Abbey
The first documented mention of "Stambs" dates back to 1065, when a document describes a fiefdom of the noble family of Wangen in the central Inn Valley, with a settlement and a much-visited pilgrimage church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
Stams Abbey was founded in 1273, when the founding convent, led by the first abbot, Heinrich von Honstetten, moved into Stams. Count Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol had intended to establish a monastery here some time before, which would henceforth serve as the burial place of the Counts of Gorizia-Tyrol. The popular legend surrounding the founding of the monastery is now considered historically refuted, but it clearly demonstrates the connections of the Counts of Tyrol and their class consciousness: It states that the founding of the monastery was due to the gruesome death of the last Hohenstaufen, Conradin (beheaded in Naples in 1268). Conradin's mother, Elisabeth of Wittelsbach (d. 1273, her first marriage to the Hohenstaufen King Conrad IV), is said to have asked her husband, Count Meinhard II, to establish a memorial for her unfortunate son ("Mors Conradini – Vita Stamsii"). The mother monastery, the Cistercian monastery of Kaisheim (north of Donauwörth in Bavaria), was closed at the beginning of the 19th century as part of the secularization process.
Text / Source: Association of Tyrolean Rifle Companies, Brixner Straße 1 / 6th floor, A-6020 Innsbruck
tiroler-schuetzen.at/tirol_lexikon/stift-stams

History of the Cistercian Monastery of Stams
The Cistercian Monastery of Stams was founded in 1272 by Count Meinhard II of Gorizia-Tyrol as a burial place for the Tyrolean princes in memory of the last Hohenstaufen dynasty, Conradin, and settled a year later. The monastery's Baroque and Rococo furnishings date from between 1650 and 1750. A monastery school has been documented since the 17th century. The monastery was dissolved in 1807 and re-established in 1816 under Emperor Francis I. In 1938, the foundation was dissolved again by the Nazi regime. A new beginning was made in 1945. Monks from the Cistercian monastery of Stična (Parakeet) in Slovenia made a significant contribution to the abbey's revival.
Text / Source: MEDIA OFFICE OF THE RELIGIOUS ORDER ORDERS AUSTRIA, Vienna
ordensgemeinschaften.at/portal/ordensgemeinschaften/ordenswiki/address/589.html#:~:text=The Cistercian monastery of Stams was founded in 1272 by Count Meinhard and dates back to the period between 1650 and 1750.

Wonderful sundial at the entrance to the monastery courtyard