The Catholic church of St Bernhart in Eußerthal was consecrated in 1262. At that time, it was built as a mighty three-aisled pillar basilica, of which only the choir, the crossing, a nave bay and four side chapels remain today.
The impressive church was part of the important Cistercian monastery of Eußerthal, which was first mentioned in 1147. The monastery was founded by monks from the Cistercian monastery of Weiler-Bettnach in Lorraine. The monastery's heyday is closely linked to the rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty at Trifels Castle near Annweiler. Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa placed it under the protection of the empire, the monks were castle chaplains on the Trifels and guardians of the imperial jewels, and the town church in Annweiler was given to the monastery. Surrounding monasteries were also subject to Eußerthal Monastery, such as the Cistercian monastery of Heilsbruck in Edenkoben and the Kanskirchen monastery in Albersweiler-St. Johann.
Further information on the history of the church and the monastery can be found online at KuLaDig: www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-326184. The monastery church is a cultural monument in the Südliche Weinstraße district.
This cultural monument is part of the Cistercian landscape in the PAMINA region. The Cistercian monasteries, which spread from the French monastery of Citeaux in the Burgundy region via Alsace and Lorraine to the Palatinate and Baden in the 12th century, have had a lasting impact on the natural and cultural landscape of the Upper Rhine. Their cultural heritage can still be seen today in their ideas on viticulture, agriculture, forestry and trade, as well as book art, music and culture in Europe. Further information on the Cistercian landscape in the PAMINA region can be found at https://vis-a-vis-pamina.eu/kulturschaetze/zisterzienser..
Around the monastery, the information boards on the monastery trail provide information about the former extent of the Cistercian monastery and the life of the Cistercian monks in the Middle Ages. Information about the trail can be found at www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/themenweg/themenweg-kloster-eusserthal/802595047/
Around the monastery, the information boards on the monastery trail provide information about the former extent of the Cistercian monastery and the life of the Cistercian monks in 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 still formed today by the Mönchsweg, which the monks followed with their donkeys. Information on the route can be found here: www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/themenweg/moenchsweg/1558029
The Cistercian church in Eußerthal is also a testimony to medieval building culture in the Palatinate and part of the European model project "Sternenweg - Chemin des Étoiles". In the Middle Ages, pilgrims travelled on many different routes, but were guided by the old episcopal seats such as Speyer or Strasbourg, by architectural witnesses such as churches, monasteries or castles, and by the stars. Today, many of these stone witnesses are marked with a scallop shell. They invite you to travel in the footsteps of the pilgrims of St James, to discover gems of cultural heritage and to find peace and contemplation off the beaten track. The pilgrimage symbolises democracy, peace, tolerance and freedom and aims to promote international understanding across borders. Further information: www.sternenweg.net
If you would like to discover more traces of the pilgrims of St James around the monastery church, you can do so on an e-bike tour: http://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/e-bike/sternenweg-e-bike-tour-auf-den-spuren-der-jakobspilger/801009680/
