Maria Laach Abbey is a Benedictine abbey situated in Glees, on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See, in the Eifel region of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is a member of the Beuronese Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation. The abbey was built in the 11th-12th centuries and was originally known as "Abtei Laach" until 1862 when the Jesuits added the name "Maria".
Maria Laach Abbey, the west end with the paradisium, a narthex enclosing a garden.
Maria Laach Abbey, seen from north west
Aerial view of the abbey
Tomb of Henry of Laach at Maria Laach Abbey
Laacher See, also known as Lake Laach or Laach Lake, is a volcanic caldera lake with a diameter of 2 km (1.2 mi) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, about 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Koblenz, 37 km (23 mi) south of Bonn, and 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Andernach. It is in the Eifel mountain range, and is part of the East Eifel volcanic field within the larger Volcanic Eifel. The lake was formed by a Plinian eruption approximately 13,000 years BP with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, on the same scale as the Pinatubo eruption of 1991. The volcanic discharge observable as mofettas on the southeastern shore of the lake are signs of dormant volcanism.
View of the caldera volcano
Panorama of the Laacher See
Mofettas on the southeastern shore of the Laacher See