Summer Picnic Concert in Tholey Abbey Garden

Germany's Oldest Monastery Garden

St. Benedict's Abbey St. Mauritius Tholey is the spiritual and cultural heart of the St. Wendel region. With a history dating back to the 7th century, it is considered the oldest continuously existing abbey on German soil. The Romanesque walls, the Baroque high altar, and especially the three large choir windows designed by Gerhard Richter (installed in 2020) have made the abbey famous far beyond the borders of Saarland in recent years.

Where prayers and the Divine Office usually structure the day, the Abbey Garden opens up in summer for a special format: the picnic concert. A concept that combines the spiritual austerity of the abbey with an almost Mediterranean summer lightness.

The Concept

The format is deliberately simple: visitors bring their own picnic blanket and picnic basket – supplemented by food and drinks offered on-site by regional caterers. Live music plays on a small stage in the garden as the sun slowly sets over the Schaumberg landscape, bathing the abbey walls in warm evening light.

The musical style is relaxed and summery: often acoustic sets, jazz ensembles, singer-songwriters, or small classical ensembles. Not a mega-concert, but an atmosphere that invites listening, picnicking, and enjoyment.

In the Heart of the Schaumberg Region

Tholey lies at the foot of the Schaumberg, the "holy mountain of Saarland". Those attending the picnic concert should combine the event with a hike or a visit to the abbey – the Richter windows are worth a visit all year round. The municipality of Tholey promotes itself as the "Little Tuscany of Saarland" – not entirely unfounded when sitting in the abbey garden in the warm summer light.

Spiritual and Enjoyable

The event is part of a broader Abbey Events program, jointly supported by St. Benedict's Abbey and the municipality of Tholey. Unlike classical monastery concerts held inside the church, the focus here is not on sacred music, but on the combination of a spiritual place and open-air enjoyment. A mix that makes the picnic concert one of the most extraordinary summer events in Saarland.