The abbey was founded in 1293 by Bishop Bernhard of Prambach as a Cistercian monastery, settled by monks from Wilhering Abbey. In 1786 it was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II. It was re-founded as a Trappist monastery in 1925. Engelszell Abbey church, built 1754-1764, is an impressive church in the Rococo style, with a tower 76 metres high. The interior contains notable works of art works by Bartolomeo Altomonte, Joseph Deutschmann and the stuccoist Johann Georg Üblher. After structural damage in about 1957 the ceiling of the nave was repainted with a contemporary work by Fritz Fröhlich.