Monastic enterprises of Maria Laach Abbey: manufactories for ceramics, artistic blacksmithing, sculpture and woodcraft in accordance with old craft traditions.
Benediktinerabtei Maria Laach
56653 Glees/Maria Laach, GermanyNew on Amplifa
Monastic enterprises of Maria Laach Abbey
The Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach in Glees in the Eifel region has been a living Benedictine monastery for over 900 years, with its six-towered Romanesque basilica as the heart of the complex. The monastery includes numerous enterprises that continue the tradition of the Laach artisan and artist monks. The ceramics manufactory produces hand-thrown and cast, hand-painted stoneware, utility and everyday ceramics as well as sculptures and objects. In the artistic blacksmith & sculpture workshop, works of blacksmith art in metal are created according to old craft traditions, also made to individual requests; sculptural works are created from stone. The woodcraft manufactory produces handcrafted wooden accessories and gift ideas. Other enterprises include the delicatessen manufactory, the orchard, the monastery nursery, the monastery shop, the monastery publishing house, gastronomy and the 4-star lake hotel with 55 rooms. The products are sold in the monastery shop and via the online shops Segensreich and Klosterverlag. The abbey is registered as Vereinigung der Benediktiner zu Maria Laach e.V.
- Site
- Maria Laach (Glees)
- Processes
- Artistic blacksmithing (blacksmith art objects, production to individual requests), Sculpture, Ceramics production: hand-thrown and cast, hand-painted stoneware, Woodworking / woodcraft (handcrafted wooden accessories), Guided monastery tours, Church services/sacred music, Gastronomy and hospitality (4-star lake hotel, 55 rooms), Manufactory production (ceramics, blacksmithing, woodcraft, delicacies)
- Materials
- Stoneware, Wood, Metal (blacksmith art), Stone
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, In-house workshop inspection according to old craft tradition
- Founded
- 1093 (mona
- Industries
- Craft art, Tourism/hotels, Gastronomy, Publishing, Food/delicacies, Agriculture/fruit growing
- 01
Material selection (stoneware, metal, stone, wood)
- 02
Handcrafted production (throwing/casting, forging, sculpting, woodworking)
- 03
Hand-painting and finishing
- 04
Distribution via monastery shop and online shops
Materials and processes
Stoneware
The ceramics manufactory produces hand-thrown and cast, hand-painted stoneware as well as utility and everyday ceramics.
Metal (blacksmith art)
In the artistic blacksmith workshop, works of blacksmith art are created according to old craft traditions, also made to individual requests.
Stone
In the sculpture workshop, stone sculptures and objects are produced.
Wood
The woodcraft manufactory produces handcrafted wooden accessories and gift ideas.
Locations
Maria Laach (Glees)
DEAbbey with monastic enterprises (ceramics manufactory, artistic blacksmith & sculpture, woodcraft manufactory,
- Lot size
- One-off pieces and objects made to individual requests; utility and
- Materials
- Stoneware/ceramics, metal (blacksmith art), stone, wood
Products of the manufactories
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artistic blacksmithing (blacksmith art objects, production to individual requests)Forming | – | – | – | – | Metal (blacksmith art) |
| SculptureForming | – | – | – | – | Stone |
| Ceramics production: hand-thrown and cast, hand-painted stonewarePlastics | – | – | – | – | Stoneware, Ceramics |
| Woodworking / woodcraft (handcrafted wooden accessories)Other | – | – | – | – | Wood |
Additional services
Quality and tradition
The manufactories continue the tradition of the Laach artisan and artist monks and work according to old craft traditions; objects are made to individual requests. No information on certified quality assurance systems is available.
| Evidence | Maria Laach (Glees) |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| In-house workshop inspection according to old craft tradition |
History of the abbey
- 1093
Founding of Maria Laach monastery; according to the website, monks have lived here for over 900 years.
- 1892
Re-settlement after secularisation by monks of Beuron Archabbey on 25.11.1892.
- 2019
P. Petrus Nowack appointed Prior-Administrator; the community requested an Apostolic Visitation.
- 2020
Start of the Apostolic Visitation (Bishop Gregor Hanke, Abbot Primate Barnabas Bögle); the pandemic burdened the enterprises.
- 2022
130 years of re-settlement celebrated; lecture series “130 Years of Art and Artists in Maria Laach”.
- 2024
Renovation and expansion of the organ system (110 stops), consecration on 5.1.2024; sale of Villa Reuther and the forester's house.
- 2025
Mauritius Wilde OSB installed as Abbot on 6.10.2025 (Prior: P. Maximilian Krenn), end of the Apostolic Visitation; blessing on 15.11.2025.