St Paul Benedictine Abbey

The St Paul Benedictine Abbey, on a rocky hill 70m/230ft high, was founded in 1091 and has been occupied since 1809 by Benedictines from St Blasien in the Black Forest (southwest Germany). The twin towered church (consecrated in 1264) is the most important Romanesque church in Carinthia apart from Gurk Cathedral. Notable features of the exterior are the choir and the south doorway.

The interior has Gothic vaulting and wall-paintings of 1470, but the furnishings, including the fine pulpit, are Baroque. The tomb of 14 members of the Habsburg family of the 13th and 14th C., with coats of arms, was brought here from St Blasien. The abbey has a valuable art collection including vestments, liturgical utensils, glass, coins, paintings and a Carolingian ivory carving. There is a library with over 40,000 volumes and valuable manuscripts. The abbey also runs a school, at which the composer Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) was once a pupil.
The abbey also contains the Carinthian Treasure-House, where the Adelheid Cross is exhibited.