Klosterkirche Eußerthal

The Catholic Church of St. Bernhart in Eußerthal was consecrated in 1262. At that time, it was built as a massive three-nave pillar basilica, of which only the choir, the crossing, one nave bay, and four side chapels remain today. Access is barrier-free.

The impressive church was part of the significant Cistercian monastery in Eußerthal, which is first mentioned in 1147. The monastery was founded by monks from the Lorraine Cistercian monastery of Weiler-Bettnach. The golden age of the monastery is closely associated with the reign of the Staufer dynasty at the Trifels Castle near Annweiler. Emperor Frederick I. Barbarossa placed it under the protection of the empire; the monks served as castle chaplains at Trifels and guardians of the imperial regalia, and the town church in Annweiler was entrusted to the monastery. Other surrounding monasteries, such as the Cistercian convent Heilsbruck in Edenkoben and the Reuerinnen monastery Kanskirchen in Albersweiler-St. Johann, were also subordinate to the Eußerthal monastery.

Further information about the history of the church and monastery can be found online at KuLaDig: www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-326184.
The monastery church is a cultural monument in the district of Southern Wine Route.

This cultural monument is part of the Cistercian landscape in the PAMINA area. The Cistercian monasteries that spread from the French monastery of Citeaux in the Burgundy region in the 12th century through Alsace and Lorraine into the Palatinate and Baden have significantly shaped the natural and cultural landscape along the Upper Rhine. Even today, their cultural heritage is reflected in ideas of viticulture, agriculture, forestry, and trade, as well as in book art, music, and culture in Europe. More information about the Cistercian landscape in the PAMINA area can be found at https://vis-a-vis-pamina.eu/kulturschaetze/zisterzienser .

Around the monastery, the information boards of the Klosterweg inform about the former extent of the Cistercian monastery and the life of the Cistercian monks during the Middle Ages. Information about the trail can be found at www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/themenweg/themenweg-kloster-eusserthal/802595047/

The connection between the Cistercian monastery in Eußerthal, the town church in Annweiler am Trifels, and Trifels Castle is formed by the Monk's Way, which the monks followed with their donkeys. Information about the trail can be found here: www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/themenweg/moenchsweg/1558029  

Furthermore, the Cistercian church in Eußerthal is a testimony of medieval architecture in the Palatinate and is part of the European model project "Sternenweg - Chemin des Étoiles". Pilgrims traveled in the Middle Ages along many different paths, but oriented themselves towards the old bishoprics such as Speyer or Strasbourg, towards architectural witnesses such as churches, monasteries, or castles, and towards the stars. Today, many of these stone witnesses are marked with a pilgrim shell. They invite travelers to walk in the footsteps of the pilgrims, to discover treasures of cultural heritage, and to find peace and contemplation off the usual paths. Pilgrimage stands for the motives of democracy, peace, tolerance, and freedom and seeks to promote cross-border understanding between peoples. More information: www.sternenweg.net

If anyone wishes to discover further traces of the pilgrims around the monastery church, they can do so with an e-bike tour: http://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/e-bike/sternenweg-e-bike-tour-auf-den-spuren-der-jakobspilger/801009680/

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