The Catholic church of St. Bernhart is the remnant of a mighty three-nave pillar basilica, which was consecrated in 1262. It was part of one of the oldest and most important Cistercian monasteries in the Palatinate. Since 1186, the Eußerthal monks were castle chaplains at the Reichsburg Trifels, performed their service to the imperial jewels kept there, and read mass in the town church in Annweiler am Trifels.
Further information on the history of the church and the monastery can be found at KuLaDig: www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-326184.
The hiking trail "Mönchsweg", which starts at the church, connects the former monastery with the town church and Trifels Castle. Information about the path can be found here: www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/tour/themenweg/moenchsweg/1558029.
This building is a testimony to the medieval building culture in the Palatinate and part of the European model project "Sternenweg - Chemin des Étoiles". In the Middle Ages, pilgrims of St. James traveled on many different paths, but they oriented themselves to the old bishoprics such as Speyer or Strasbourg, to architectural contemporary witnesses such as churches, monasteries or castles, and to 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. Thereby the pilgrimage stands for the motives of democracy, peace, tolerance and freedom and would like to promote the transnational international understanding. Further information: www.sternenweg.net
