WILHERING. – A Cistercian abbey on the Danube, in the diocese of Linz (Austria).
It was a daughter house of Reun, of the line of Morimond. Before 1146, Ulrich and Colomann of W., wealthy nobles, founded and endowed the abbey, situated on the Danube amid the forests of the Kümbergervald. As was customary, the White Monks rendered themselves worthy through extensive works of reclamation, cultivation, and civilization. A huge fire destroyed much of the church and convent in 1733, but the tenacious efforts of the abbots and monks rebuilt the church between 1733 and 1740, and the convent between 1734 and 1835. Romanesque remains include the church portal and some fragments of the cloister, recently rediscovered. The church, designed by J. Iliasinger, is austere in its façade with its tall bell tower, while its interior presents some of the finest examples of the *Rococo* style, remarkable for the extraordinary harmony of all its elements: painted stuccowork, frescoes, movable altars, etc. The theme of the decoration is the life and glorification of the Immaculate Mary. Many artists collaborated, among them especially Bartolo, Andrea, and Martino Altomonte.
Many tomb slabs, both Gothic and Baroque, are preserved. Notable within the convent are the library (230 manuscripts, 400 incunabula, 35,000 volumes), the refectory, the abbatial residence, and the chapter house.
The abbey has charge of 13 incorporated parishes, directs a gymnasium, and for several decades has maintained a branch
Wilgefortis, Saint – Fides, W. on the cross, Spes, Iulia, Caritas, fresco of the 14th century – Cologne, Cathedral, chapel of St. Agnes.
in Bolivia (Caupolican), where it also maintains highly renowned workshops for various crafts.