On Wednesday we headed back to Maria Laach for a chance at enjoying it in the daylight. We spent several hours there and had such a good time. The church is so awesome and in such a beautiful scenic location on a lake. The weather was iffy but we got sufficient sunbreaks for nice photos and nature walks.
Maria Laach Abbey was founded in 1093 by Count Heinrich II von Laach and his wife, who lived in a castle across the lake. They couldn't have children, so they donated their inheritance to building a monastery on the opposite shore. It was finished by 1167 and was pretty important in the Middle Ages. After lots of turmoil and occasional closures under Napoleon, the Prussians, and the Nazis, the abbey is once again home to Benedictine monks.
The white building on the right is part of the abbey where the monks still live.
A nice sunny view, unlike our last visit - but wouldn't you know it, in the meantime they've put up scaffolding on half the front! Signs said it would be there until the end of 2009. Arggh. What a bummer.
For comparison, this was taken last week. The restorations (although I'm sure necessary) are especially unfortunate since this west porch/courtyard is one of the most unusual features of the church.
But we worked around the plastic as best we could. The church is just so pretty! I think it is the biggest and best collection of Romanesque goodness I've seen yet.
View from the side (northwest).
Colorful details over the entrance.
Interior view. Note that there is a whole lot of wall and only small windows, which is one of the main characteristics of Romanesque architecture. It's also why we've been trying so hard to find the best camera equipment for low light.
After our church visit we got to go on some short nature walks!
First we headed up a trail behind the abbey that led into a nice little forest complete with logging roads and leafy paths.
We had a nice view of the abbey through the trees, although there is a tall stone wall between the forest and the abbey so we risked life and limb to get this view!
This is the St Nicholas Chapel, which is also from the 12th century and prettily painted. It's on the abbey property and sadly not open to the public.
After our stroll through the forest we made the short walk to the lake, which is just down a paved trail from the parking lot.
On our way to the lake we saw an ermine! I don't think I've ever seen one before, although they are apparently common throughout North America and Europe. He is so cute. The poor picture quality is due to a very long zoom - he was only a little white blur in real life.
The Laacher See. It's a crater lake and very blue, a little like the famous Crater Lake back home. This whole area is actually covered in volcanoes - Maria Laach is in the middle of the "Vulkanpark." They are still active, too. Gulp.
The lake shore. They have boat rides here in the summer.
A really big dog enjoying his evening walk.
Ducks in the fading light
Volcanic landscape near the lake.
See the link below for more of the history and lots more pics of the church, its weird carvings, and the pretty lake.
