Melk Abbey

Last updated
Melk Abbey
Native name
Stift Melk (German)
Stift Melk, Westansicht.jpg
Melk Abbey
LocationAustria
Coordinates 48°13′41″N15°20′02″E / 48.22806°N 15.33389°E / 48.22806; 15.33389
AreaEurope
Architect Jakob Prandtauer
Architectural style(s)Baroque
Austria adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Melk Abbey in Austria
Aerial view of the Melk Abbey and its park Aerial image of Melk Abbey (view from the southeast).jpg
Aerial view of the Melk Abbey and its park

Melk Abbey (German : Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. [1] The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria's first ruling dynasty. [2]

Contents

History

The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, a forerunner of the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the twelfth century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection and production, many of them contain musical compositions. In the fifteenth century the abbey became the centre of the Melk Reform movement which reinvigorated the monastic life of Austria and Southern Germany. [3]

Today's Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 to designs by Jakob Prandtauer. Particularly noteworthy are the abbey church with frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and Paul Troger. [4] In the later eighteenth century, Abbey of Melk became a center of Enlightenment thought and social exchange; there was even a Masonic lodge there, since a number of monks were Freemasons. [5]

Due to its fame and academic stature, Melk managed to escape dissolution under Emperor Joseph II when many other Austrian abbeys were seized and dissolved between 1780 and 1790. [6] The abbey also survived threats to its existence during the Napoleonic Wars and in the period following the Anschluss in 1938, when the school and a large part of the abbey were confiscated by the state. The school was returned to the abbey after the Second World War and now serves nearly 900 pupils of both sexes.

Since 1625 the abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation, now within the Benedictine Confederation.

In his novel The Name of the Rose , Umberto Eco named one of the medieval protagonists "Adso of Melk" as a tribute to the famous abbey. Melk Abbey is also the metaphorical climax ("a peak in a mountain range of discovery") of Patrick Leigh Fermor's autobiographical account of his walking tour across Europe in A Time of Gifts . [7]

The abbey is part of Wachau Cultural Landscape, a World Heritage Site.

Restoration efforts

The first fire at Melk Abbey and its invaluable library was in 1297. This left the structures destroyed. [8] Most of the manuscripts Melk is famous for housing were saved by monks. During the 1683 Turkish invasion, the Melk Abbey also suffered severe damages. [9]

The abbey that stands today, built in 1702, caught fire in 1974. This fire marred the ornamented rooms and damaged the interior and its art, [10] leading to its restoration from 1978 to 1995. [8] The nave of the abbey was a part of the restoration. Eight pounds of gold bullion were used to restore the statues and altars. The Marble Hall, a popular guest attraction, was also restored during this period. [10]

In July 2019, Christine Glaßner, from the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medieval Research, while researching the abbey's archives, discovered a previously unknown strip of parchment that bears 60 partial lines of the poem Der Rosendorn, what commentators called the first Vagina Monologues. The parchment, which had been subsequently recycled into the binding of a much later book, has been dated to around 1300; this is nearly 200 years earlier than it was previously thought to have been written. [11]

Euro commemorative coin

Jesus of Nazareth on the Cross, Stift Melk Jesus of Nazareth on the Cross, Stift Melk.jpg
Jesus of Nazareth on the Cross, Stift Melk

Melk Abbey was selected as the main motif of a 10 euro collectors' coin: the Austrian Melk Abbey commemorative coin, minted on April 18, 2007. The obverse shows a view up to the façade of the abbey church and its two side wings from a low level. The twin baroque towers and the great dome of the church behind them can be seen. In the lower right corner the coat-of-arms of the Abbey of Melk (the crossed keys of St. Peter) can be seen. [12]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melk</span> Place in Lower Austria, Austria

Melk is a city in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,257. It is best known as the site of a massive baroque Benedictine monastery named Melk Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johann Michael Rottmayr</span> Austrian painter (1656–1730)

Johann Michael Rottmayr was an Austrian painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schottenkirche, Vienna</span>

The Schottenkirche is a parish church in Vienna attached to the Schottenstift, founded by Irish Benedictine monks in the 12th century. In 1418, the Duke Albert V of Austria transferred it to the German-speaking Benedictine monks from the Melk Abbey during the Melker Reform initiated after the Council of Constance. The church was elevated to the rank of Basilica Minor in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kremsmünster Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Upper Austria

Kremsmünster Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster in Upper Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Göttweig Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria

Göttweig Abbey is a Benedictine monastery near Krems in Lower Austria. It was founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seckau Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Styria, Austria

Seckau Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and Co-Cathedral in Seckau in Styria, Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admont Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Styria, Austria

Admont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located on the Enns River in the town of Admont, Styria, Austria. The oldest remaining monastery in Styria, Admont Abbey contains the largest monastic library in the world as well as a long-established scientific collection. It is known for its Baroque architecture, art, and manuscripts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Peter's Abbey, Salzburg</span> Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria

St Peter's Abbey, or St Peter's Archabbey, is a Benedictine monastery and former cathedral in the Austrian city of Salzburg. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking area, and in fact the oldest with a continuous history since its foundation in 696.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altenburg Abbey</span>

Altenburg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Altenburg, Lower Austria. It is situated about 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the north of Krems an der Donau in the Waldviertel. It was founded in 1144，by Countess Hildeburg of Poigen-Rebgau. Throughout its history it suffered numerous invasions and attacks, and was destroyed by the Swedes in 1645. Under Emperor Joseph II in 1793 the abbey was forbidden to accept new novices, but unlike many others in Austria it succeeded in remaining functional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seitenstetten Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Austria

Seitenstetten Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Seitenstetten in the Mostviertel region of Lower Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal</span>

Saint Paul's Abbey in Lavanttal is a Benedictine monastery established in 1091 near the present-day market town of Sankt Paul im Lavanttal in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The premises centered on the Romanesque monastery church were largely rebuilt in a Baroque style in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michaelbeuern Abbey</span>

Michaelbeuern Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Dorfbeuern near Salzburg in Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhering Abbey</span> Austrian Cistercian monastery

Wilhering Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Wilhering in Upper Austria, about 8 km (5 mi) from Linz. It was founded in 1146. The buildings, re-constructed in the 18th century, are known for their spectacular Rococo decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilienfeld Abbey</span> Cistercian monastery in Lilienfeld, Austria

Lilienfeld Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Lilienfeld in Lower Austria, south of Sankt Pölten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Florian Monastery</span> Austrian monastery

St. Florian Monastery is an Augustinian monastery in the town of Sankt Florian, Austria. Founded in the early ninth century, and later refounded by Augustinians in the eleventh century, St. Florian is the largest monastery in Upper Austria, and rivals Melk Abbey and Klosterneuburg Monastery as among the most impressive examples of Baroque architecture in Austria. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Florian, whose fourth century grave lies beneath the monastery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herzogenburg Monastery</span>

Herzogenburg Monastery is an Augustinian monastery located in Herzogenburg in Lower Austria. Founded in 1112 by Augustinian Canons, the monastery was refurbished in the Baroque style in 1714 by Jakob Prandtauer, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and Josef Munggenast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Troger</span> Austrian painter, draughtsman and printmaker

Paul Troger was an Austrian painter, draughtsman, and printmaker of the late Baroque period. Troger's illusionistic ceiling paintings in fresco are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and their palette of light colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johann Jakob Zeiller</span> Austrian painter

Johann Jakob Zeiller was an Austrian painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wachau</span> Valley in Austria

The Wachau is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans" for its high-quality wines. It is 36 kilometres (22 mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Dürnstein, where King Richard I of England was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries, castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melk Abbey Library</span> Monastic library in Melk, Austria

The Melk Abbey Library, also known as the Library of Melk Abbey, is an Austria-based monastic library located in Melk, Austria. The library has many rare medieval manuscripts, as well as a large inventory of Baroque literature.

References

  1. ↑ "Melk, Niederösterreich". Encyclopedia of Austria. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Ellegast, Dr. Burkhard (1998). Melk Abbey. Melk: Stift Melk. p. 51. ASIN   B000N48KHS.
  3. ↑ Toke, L. (1911). "Abbey and Congregation of Melk". The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Weninger, Peter, ed. (1964). Ausstellung Paul Troger und die österreichische Barockkunst.
  5. ↑ Kontler, László. "Report on the Habilitation request of Dr. Ulrich L. Lehner" (PDF). Central European University. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Trotter, Henry (1911). "Danube"  . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 819–823, see page 820, para 3. The Danube between Linz and Vienna is renowned for its picturesque beauty and the numerous medieval and modern buildings of historical and archaeological interest which crown its banks. The splendid Benedictine monastery of Melk ....[is] among the most interesting.
  7. ↑ Fermor, Patrick Leigh (2005). A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople. New York, pp. 172–77.
  8. 1 2 Kummer, E. (2003), "Melk, Abbey of", New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2nd ed, Gale, pp. 478–479
  9. ↑ Gordan, Lucy. "Melk Abbey-A Microcosm of Austrian History". German Life. 16 (1): 44–47.
  10. 1 2 Lewis, Paul (Jan 12, 1986). "An Abbey's Grandeur Restored in Austria: At Melk, lavish baroque ornamentation is refurbished". New York Times: 19, 34.
  11. ↑ Connolly, K. (2019). "Medievalists Excited at Parchment Fragment of 'Vagina Monologue'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  12. ↑ 2012 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001 to Date. 2011.
  13. ↑ Robert N. Freeman (2001). "Schneider, Franz". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24987.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.