Lilienfeld Abbey (german: Stift Lilienfeld) is a
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monastery in
Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld () is a city in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), Austria, south of St. Pölten, noted as the site of Lilienfeld Abbey. It is also the site of a regional hospital Landesklinikum Voralpen Lilienfeld.
The city is located in the valley ...
in
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
, south of
Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölten ...
.
History
It was founded in 1202 by
Leopold VI, Duke of Austria and
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, as a daughter house of
Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey (german: Stift Heiligenkreuz; en, Abbey of the Holy Cross) is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria. It is the olde ...
. Successive abbots acted as councillors to the rulers of Austria, and the abbey became wealthy as a result of this valuable connection.
Abbot Matthew Kollweis (1650–1695) turned the monastery into a fortress during the
Turkish advance against
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1683, installing a garrison and giving shelter to a large number of fugitives.
In the 17th century the medieval buildings were extended by
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
additions. In the first half of the 18th century the tower, library and church interior and furnishings were also refurbished in the Baroque style.
The abbey was suppressed by
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
in 1789, but although the library, archives and portable valuables were removed, on the death of Joseph II it was reopened by
Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II (Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and Archduke of Austria from 1790 to 1792, and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son ...
as early as 1790.
In 1810 much of the abbey was destroyed in a fire, but was rebuilt under Abbot
Johann Ladislaus Pyrker
Johann Ladislaus Pyrker (von Oberwart) ''(von Felsö-Eör)'' ( hu, Oberwart, felsőőri Pyrker János László; 2 November 1772 in Nagyláng, Soponya, near Székesfehérvár, Hungary – 2 December 1847 at Vienna) was a Hungarian Cistercian abbot ...
, who later became the
Patriarch of Venice
The Patriarch of Venice ( la, Patriarcha Venetiarum; it, Patriarca di Venezia) is the ordinary bishop of the Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few patriarchs in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church (currently three other Latin ...
(1820–26) and eventually
Archbishop of Eger
The Archdiocese of Eger ( la, Archidioecesis Agriensis) is an archdiocese in Northern Hungary, its centre is the city of Eger.
History
* 1000: Established as Diocese of Eger
* August 9, 1804: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Eger
Ordi ...
.
In 1976
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
declared the abbey church of Lilienfeld a "
basilica minor
In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular b ...
".
The community belongs to the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
s of the Common Observance and is part of the Austrian Congregation.
From the early 1980s Lilienfeld Abbey has hosted the ''Sommerakademie Lilienfeld'', a summer music academy with master classes by renowned teachers. The courses are held during two weeks in July, and usually 5 concerts are performed by the participants. In 2008 alone, over 160 people from 27 countries took part in the activities of the ''Sommerakademie Lilienfeld''.
Winemaking
As part of his endowment, Duke Leopold VI, Duke of Austria, granted the Abbey lands in and around Pfaffstätten, between Baden and Gumpoldskirchen, upon which the monks erected a walled estate (known as a "
monastic grange
Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely a ...
"). This estate, the
Lilienfelderhof, comprising a gothic church, manor house, and numerous other buildings, was acquired in 2006 by the Kartause Gaming Private Foundation via a 99-year leasehold. The property and its vineyards are currently in the process of being restored and revitalised.
Burials
*
Leopold VI, Duke of Austria
Leopold VI (15 October 1176 – 28 July 1230), known as Leopold the Glorious, was Duke of Styria from 1194 and Duke of Austria from 1198 to his death in 1230. He was a member of the House of Babenberg.
Biography
Leopold VI was the younger son of ...
*
Margaret, Duchess of Austria
Margaret of Austria (german: Margarethe von Österreich; – 29 October 1266), a member of the House of Babenberg, was List of German queens, German queen from 1225 until 1235, by her first marriage with King Henry (VII) of Germany, Henry (V ...
*
Cymburgis of Masovia
Cymburgis of Masovia (german: Cimburgis von Masowien), ( lt, Cimbarka Mazovietė), also Zimburgis or Cimburga ( pl, Cymbarka mazowiecka; 1394 or 1397 – 28 September 1429), a member of the Polish Piast dynasty, was Duchess of Austria from 1412 ...
Cross of honour
* Cross of Honour of the Abbot of Lilienfeld, founded 1980
Gallery
Stift Lilienfeld - Eckturm und Durchfahrt an der Klosterrotte.jpg, Lilienfeld Abbey
Lilienfeld - Stiftsportal.JPG, Main portal
Lilienfeld - Stiftskirche, Innenansicht.JPG, Interior view of the Abbey Church
Lilienfeld - Stiftskirche, Hochaltar.JPG, High altar
Lilienfeld - Stiftskirche, Josefikapelle.JPG, Josefi Chapel
Lilienfeld - Stiftskirche, Chororgel.JPG, Choir pipe organ
Lilienfeld Stiftskirche Innen Kanzel.JPG, Abbey Church pulpit
Lilienfeld Stiftskirche Innen Orgel 2.JPG, Abbey Church organ loft
Stift Lilienfeld - Kreuzgang - Fenster I.jpg, Abbey Church stained glass
Stift Lilienfeld - Panorama Bibliothek2.jpg, Library
Lilienfeld Immaculata 4066.JPG, Immaculate Mary statue
Lilienfeld - Stift, Sakristei, Decke.JPG, Sacristy ceiling
References
External links
Lilienfeld Abbey website
Lilienfelderhof / Domaene Lilienfeld websiteSommerakademie Lilienfeld
{{Authority control
Cistercian monasteries in Austria
Basilica churches in Austria
1202 establishments in Europe
Monasteries in Lower Austria
Christian monasteries established in the 13th century
13th-century establishments in Austria
Establishments in the Duchy of Austria