Schöntal Monastery was founded in the middle of the 12th century by monks from the Cistercian abbey Maulbronn. The nobleman Wolfram von Bebenburg had donated the land for this founding. The young monastery is documented in a letter of protection from Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa from 1157.
In 1163 the bishop of Würzburg, whom Wolfram had instructed to protect his donation, renewed the founding of the monastery and called the monastery by its Latin name "speciosa vallis", in German "Schöntal" (beautiful valley).
Following an initially favorable economic development, Schöntal Monastery was on the verge of collapse in 1282, as it was no longer able to pay its debts. These debts had accumulated – in difficult, unstable times - over a period of twenty years. Maulbronn, itself in difficulties, transferred the responsibility to Kaisheim Monastery. Its Abbot Trutwin paid all Schöntal's debts in 1283. Under the strict control of Kaisheim, the monastery recovered and mastered the following centuries, even though the Plague and political difficulties took their toll.
Schöntal Monastery experienced a heyday in the 15th century. At the Council of Constance in 1418 it was granted the "Reichsunmittelbarkeit", which lasted until 1495. Those who enjoyed this privilege were solely responsible to the Emperor in worldly matters. The monastery was strengthened economically and its social and spiritual life flourished.
The Peasants' War in 1525 took a heavy toll on Schöntal Monastery. It was plundered several times and suffered major destruction. In the course of the Reformation it experienced loses, however the Convent successfully defended itself against its closure. The monastery complex had meanwhile become uninhabitable. Therefore, Abbot Theobald Fuchs had the Old Abbey (Alte Abtei) built in 1617 and 1618. This was a representative building which contained the rooms of the monks and the abbot's tract..
In the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Schöntal was besieged, its monks were forced to flee, the monastery was plundered and partially closed. Abbott Christoph Haan (1636-75) quickly lead the ruined monastery to renewed prosperity and high standing.
Under Abbot Benedikt Knittel (1638-1732) Schöntal experienced its second heyday. The Baroque buildings erected at that time still bear testimony to this age today.
From 1708 the new Monastery Church (Klosterkirche) with its double-tower facade was built according to the plans of Johann Leonhard Dientzenhofer. The hall church is adorned with stuccowork, wall and ceiling frescos, altars and sculptures. The 300 figured paintings personify a formulated program of paintings on various topics from the Bible and Christian faith.
The new wing of the convent houses the Monastery Library (Klosterbibliothek) which, with ten thousand volumes, was one of the most extensive in what is Württemberg today. The new library was already completed in 1706, however has more modest appointments than the splendid halls in the monasteries of Schussenried, Ochsenhausen and Wiblingen in the region of Upper Swabia.
The New Abbey (Neue Abtei), a palace-like building that embodies the abbots' need for representations, is a true jewel. With its magnificent staircase and its upward-curving flights of steps, its gilding and the ceiling painting, a reception room with Rococo style elements was created.
In 1802 Schöntal Monastery was closed in the course of Secularization. In the end, the monastery property was given to the Duchy of Württemberg. The Duke had the furnishings sold at auction and the library dissolved. A small part of this is contained in the collection of the Württemberg State Library (Landesbibliothek) today. The convent of monks was disbanded and the Monastery Church became a Catholic parish church in 1807. Its appointments have been largely preserved.
In 1810 King Friedrich I of Württemberg had a Protestant theological seminary established in Schöntal, as in Urach, Maulbronn and Blaubeuren. The seminary students later became pastors of the Protestant state church or government officials of Württemberg. During their two-year training they lived in the convent tract of the New Abbey, and the monastery's Banquet Hall (Festsaal) served as a Protestant Hall of Prayer (Betsaal). In 1975 the seminary in Schöntal was closed after 165 years.
Following restoration of the New Abbey, the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart opened an adult education center here in 1979. The former monastery domestic building was renovated for the House of Education (Bildungshaus). Other buildings in the monastery complex have also been given new uses. The Schöntal city hall is now housed in the Celebrants' Building (Offiziantenbau), a "Waldschulheim" (school field center in the forest) moved into the remodeled stables building, and a "House of Quiet" (Haus der Stille) is located in the former Brewery Building (Brauereigebäude). The gardens within and outside the monastery have been reconstructed. A permanent exhibition informs visitors on the history of Schöntal Monastery.