Furstenzell

Furstenzell is a Cistercian daughter house of nearby Aldersbach. The monastic buildings date from 1687 but the church was built 1739-48 and the towers by 1774. It was begun by Josef Mathhaus Gotz, but he was dismissed, and JM Fischer took over. He encountered problems over the walls of the choir and money problems so he left too. However he gave the church its main flavour.It is a wall pillar church with 4 bay nave, slightly narrower choir with apse and  two towers on the west front.

The huge fresco above by Johann Jakob  Zeiller shows the Cistercians, led by allegorical figures of vows and virtues, on the clouds in front of Mary and the Blessed Trinity.It was modeled on the fresco in the Neapolitan church of S. Domenico Maggiore by Zeiller's teacher Francesco Solimena. .

High altar by JB Straub with Assumption of BVM by Jakob Zeiler.

Mysterious room behind high altar obviously restored
and re-pointed

This abbey had more to offer than we were able to see. An open door beside the high altar led to sight of the mysterious room above and to a magnificent staircase into the abbey buildings. Again a huge fresco by Johann Jakob Zeiller, apparently portraying the Time of Fulfilment. There is a Festsaal and Library we did not see. Will we ever return? I ask this humbly as I write this in March 2020 with this country in lockdown and I can go nowhere except for food and a short walk...