| Admont Abbey Library | |
| Type: | Baroque-style library[1] |
| Established: | 1776 |
| Architect: | Josef Hueber |
| Location: | Admont, Austria |
| Website: | www.stiftadmont.at |
The Admont Abbey Library (Deutsch: Stiftsbibliothek Admont)[2] is a monastic library[3] located in Admont, a small town next to the Enns River in Austria, and is attached to the Admont Abbey.[4]
Admont Abbey Library is the largest monastic library in the world,[5] and is noted for its Baroque art, architecture and manuscripts.[6]
Admont Abbey Library, modelled on the Imperial Court Library in Vienna, was designed by Josef Hueber.[7] Construction of the library began in 1774[8] and was completed in 1776.[9]
The fresco cycle in the seven vaulted domes, painted by Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694-1783) at the age of 80 during the summers of 1775 and 1776, explores the profound relationship between religion, arts, and sciences. The central dome focuses on Revelation as the cornerstone of Christian faith, while the adjacent domes depict various sciences and arts such as Medicine, Theology, and Jurisprudence. Each dome intricately weaves allegorical figures and symbols to convey themes ranging from divine wisdom to historical research, culminating in the celebration of intellectual awakening in the final dome.[10]
The abbey made a deliberate decision to focus on the library as an online attention-grabber in 2018, launching a publicity strategy on multiple platforms. Its followers on Facebook increased from 4,500 in 2018 to 160,000 in 2022; in the same period, ticket sales for entry rose from ten thousand to sixty thousand.[11]