The occasion of the centennial celebration of the consecration of our church on September 7, 2008, inspired us to present an exhibition in the lateral nave which lasted six months and was dedicated to Beuronese Art, the history of the construction of our church as well as the murals found therein. As the exhibition received such positive resonance and was visited by an exceptional number of guests showing great interest in the subject, we have decided to make it available for viewing on our homepage. Sr. Teresa, Sr. Emmanuela, Sr. Philippa and Sr. Benedicta, with the inestimable support of Mr. Hans-Georg Kunz, began making preparations in 2007, as reported in our annual Chronicle.

The murals of our abbey church are regarded as one of the few remaining major and comprehensive works of the Beuronese School of Art. This style, which was almost forgotten, has recently experienced a modest renaissance and is receiving increased attention. It was developed in the last decades of the 19th Century and spread widely well into the mid-20th Century. The artists utilized forms and motifs from the classical Egyptian and Byzantine eras as well as elements of Art Nouveau which was developing at that time. The paintings have an almost timeless modernity due to their stylization. Unfortunately, significant portions of the church were painted over in the course of the 1960’s.
The exhibition shows how the church appeared originally.Displayed are mainly reproductions of original drafts which were previously unavailable to the public. They permit an exciting peek into the development of the paintings which can be seen in various drafts and in each phase of the process. New discoveries in the archives of the Archabbey of Beuron and in our own house permitted us, in addition, to create authentic, computer-generated photographic 3-D simulations. These computer simulations were constructed according to old plans of the nun’s choir and the presbyterium including the apse. The walls, floors and ceiling were reconstructed to scale measurements using submittals from the Beuronese School of Art. The virtual presentation was realized by utilizing original color sketches, contour drawings and old monochrome photographs which had been preserved in digital form.
We wish you great pleasure during your “walk” though the exhibition.

Your Sisters of the Abbey of Saint Hildegard