Rein Abbey stands in Rein near Gratwein in Styria, Austria. Margrave Leopold the Strong of Styria founded it in 1129, and monks from Ebrach Abbey settled it under the first abbot, Gerlacus. It is called the Cradle of Styria and is the oldest surviving Cistercian community in the world. The Rein Oath of 1276 pledged the allegiance of Styrian and Carinthian nobility to Rudolf of Habsburg.
The abbey was originally Romanesque, with a Gothic Chapel of the Cross built from 1406 to 1409 and Baroque church interiors. Johann Georg Stengg of Graz built the Baroque church from 1738 to 1747, under Abbot Placidus Mailly. Bartholomäus di Bosio rebuilt the conventual buildings from 1629 to 1632.
The library holds over 100,000 items, including 390 manuscripts. Pope John Paul II made the church a minor basilica in 1979.
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