Ettal Abbey

Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ettal in Upper Bavaria.

It was founded by Emperor Ludwig in the Graswang Valley on 28th April 1330 as a pledge to the Bavarians.

Emperor Ludwig founded the monastery so it would ensure not only the emperor’s salvation but also the trading route
from Augsburg to Verona.

Lack of funds meant that Ludwig had to withdraw from Rome where he supported the election of Pope Nikolaus V. On his return from Pisa to Germany, he passed through Ettal and founded an abbey there.

The most significant object of devotion in Ettal is a picture of the Virgin Mary that he brought back from Pisa, known as the Ettal Madonna.

The abbey is dedicated to the Virgin Mary: St. Mariä Himmelfahrt.

The St. Mariä Himmelfahrt abbey has born the honorary title Basilika minoir since 1920.

The monastery also runs a brewery, a distillery for creating the abbey liqueur, a bookshop, an art publisher, a hotel,
several guest houses and many smaller businesses.