Baroque monastery Sankt Mang Füssen

The Benedictine Monastery of St. Mang was established in the first half of the 9th century as a proprietary monastery of the Bishops of Augsburg. Its origins, however, trace back to the hermit Magnus, who built a cell and oratory here and died on September 6 (though the exact year remains unknown). The miraculous discovery of Magnus’ incorrupt body, proving his sainthood, became the spiritual foundation of the monastery.

The abbey’s founding was not solely religious—it also served political and strategic interests. Located along a major medieval trade route from Augsburg through the Alps to Northern Italy and at the Lech River gorge (a key Alpine passage), the monastery held geopolitical significance. Both the Augsburg bishops and imperial authorities sought to control this strategic point.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the abbey’s history was marked by the monks’ efforts to uphold Benedictine rule amid societal changes. Over centuries, the community repeatedly joined reform movements to revive the roots of monastic life, often sparking spiritual, economic, and artistic renewal—reflected in new constructions and artworks.

The Counter-Reformation era left its lasting mark with the construction of a grand Baroque monastery (1696–1726). Today, the St. Mang complex and the Hohes Schloss define Füssen’s skyline.

Abbot Gerhard Oberleitner (r. 1696–1714) and his convent aimed to “arouse the envy of all art lovers” with the new building. Architect Johann Jakob Herkomer (1652–1717) transformed the irregular medieval complex into a symmetrical Baroque masterpiece. The redesign of the medieval basilica into a Venetian-inspired Baroque church became an architectural tribute to St. Magnus—the church itself acting as a monumental reliquary. Notably, St. Mang was the first southern German Baroque church to feature frescoes entirely based on the life of its patron saint.

By the late 18th century, the convent shifted focus to pastoral care, education, science, and music. Though it never achieved imperial immediacy, the abbey profoundly shaped Füssen and the region as a cultural, economic, and spiritual hub.

On December 11, 1802, during the Napoleonic Wars, the House of Oettingen-Wallerstein seized the monastery and its lands (along with Maihingen Abbey). On January 15, 1803, Princess Wilhelmine ordered Abbot Aemilian Hafner to disband the convent by March 1, 1803. In 1819, Blessed Franz Xaver Seelos (canonized in 2000) was baptized in the monastery church.

In 1821, Prince Ludwig of Oettingen-Wallerstein purchased nearby Hohenschwangau Castle to save it from demolition, though he sold it in 1823. Later, Crown Prince Maximilian restored it (from 1832)—originally, the Hohes Schloss Füssen (the summer residence of Augsburg’s prince-bishops) had been planned as his retreat.

In 1839, royal Bavarian chamberlain Christoph Friedrich Freiherr von Ponickau bought the St. Mang estate. Earlier, in 1837, the former monastery church was transferred to the Füssen parish. Since then, the abbey has been split between two owners.

In 1909, the City of Füssen acquired Ponickau’s estate, including the monastery buildings. The north wing now houses the town hall, while the south wing hosts the Füssen Museum, showcasing the abbey’s Baroque state rooms.