In 1098 monks under Abbot Robert von Molesme founded a Benedictine reform monastery in Cîteaux (the basis for the name Cistercians), which the young noble Bernhard joined in 1112. Under his leadership 12 monks founded Clairveaux Monastery in 1115, which quickly spread to all of Europe with 68 daughter abbeys alone. Bernhard von Clairveaux was an influential advisor to the powerful of his age and ensured the far-reaching importance of the Cistercians. Typical characteristics of the Order were the simplicity of the liturgy, the unadorned nature of its churches and the strict rules which marked its architecture. The strong emphasis on manual labor (Ora et Labora = pray and work) lead to important achievements in the field of agriculture.
Like many of his class in this age, the nobleman founded a monastery on his property around 1157, which he dedicated to the Cistercian Order. Wolfram of Bebenburg entered the monastery himself as a lay brother. His wife came from the von Berlichingen family and had brought the land on which Schöntal Monastery was built into the marriage as a dowry. The von Berlichingen family probably established its tomb in the monastery in the 14th century for this reason. In the early 15th century a monument to the founder was erected in the lay choir of the Monastery Church (Klosterkirche).
The knight Götz of Berlichingen is buried at Schöntal Monastery. His tomb is located in the cloister. Although he was a Protestant, he was buried in the tomb of the Catholic monastery. Götz of Berlichingen, from 1512 declared an outlaw, fought in the Peasants' War on the peasants' side. He had lost his right hand in 1504 in the war and had replaced it with an iron one. However, the relief on his tomb shows him with two healthy hands. The metal fist lies before him on the ground. In 1773 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe established a literary monument to him with his play "Götz von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand" (Götz of Berlichingen with the iron hand).
Benedikt Knittel was elected on 6 July 1683 to Abbot of Schöntal Monastery. He held this office for 49 years and made his mark on the Baroque appearance of the monastery. The abbot not only had the Baroque new buildings erected. The Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher (Heiliggrabkapelle) was also built on the "Kreuzberg" (Cross Mountain) during his term in office. Knittel achieved particular famous for his literary talent. He wrote a number of instructive and humorous verses in Latin and German. These include so-called chronograms, the uppercase letters of which express a date when read as Roman numerals.