STAMS. — Cistercian abbey in the Inn Valley, in Tyrol, apostolic administration of Innsbruck, formerly diocese of Bressanone.
The monastery of S. was founded in 1273 in memory of Corradino, king of Sicily, by his mother Elisabetta, widow first of Corrado IV and then of Mainardo II of Tyrol. The first monks came from Kaisheim, a daughter-house of Morimond. The abbey enjoyed great favor from the ruling houses, but under Bavarian dominion it was suppressed (1806), its possessions squandered, and its manuscripts, library, and archive dispersed. In 1816 the monastery was reopened. It has 5 incorporated parishes.
The complex (parish, monastery, abbey church, adjoining buildings, and garden) forms a highly picturesque ensemble, still largely within the medieval walls. The original church, a three-aisled basilica without a transept and with three apses, was dedicated in 1284; remodeled for the first time in 1601–15, it was transformed into a magnificent Baroque hall by G. A. Gumpp (1729–32), with the assistance of many local artists. The high altar, a work of splendid monumentality in polychrome and gold, was erected in 1609 according to designs by B. Steinle; it takes the form of an immense tree rising from the altar table to the vaults; among its branches are numerous saints, the Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin, and the Most Holy Trinity. Noteworthy is the mausoleum of the Tyrolean princes, built in the form of the Roman “confessioni,” under the influence of Berninian art, by A. Damasch (1679–81); the pulpit is a valuable work by A. Kölle (1740). In the adjoining Chapel of the Most Precious Blood is the admired “Rosengitter” by Brother B. Bachnetzer (1716).
The monastery partly preserves its original layout, but has been entirely rebuilt: the convent in 1645–66; the prelature proper; the Hall of S. Bernardo, a grand two-story room frescoed and decorated with stucco; and the new prelature, with library, refectory, etc. The royal chambers (1615–18) now serve as a museum. Also noteworthy is the parish church, built around 1050 and rebuilt by Enrico, king of Bohemia, in 1313; in 1755 it was completely given a Baroque treatment, with a richly decorated interior. The abbey maintains a retreat house, schools of agriculture, and various institutions for the education of the peasantry.