Nonnberg Abbey (german: Stift Nonnberg) is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, Austria. Founded by Saint

Rupert of Salzburg Rupert of Salzburg (german: Ruprecht, la, Robertus, Rupertus; 660 – 710 AD) was Bishop of Worms as well as the first Bishop of Salzburg and abbot of St. Peter's in Salzburg. He was a contemporary of the Frankish king Childebert III. Rupert ...

, it is the oldest continuously existing

nunnery A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...

in the German-speaking world. The monastery complex is today a protected monument and part of the

Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg The Historic Center of the City of Salzburg, also known as the Altstadt, is a district of Salzburg, Austria, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It corresponds with the historic city center, situated on the left and right banks of ...

, a UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

since 1996.

History

The convent was established beneath the

Festungsberg Festungsberg is a mountain in the city of Salzburg in Austria, , which rises to an elevation of . It is the site of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which towers over Salzburg's historic city centre to the north, and forms part of the city's UNESCO ...

hill and the ruined fortifications of the former

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

city of ''Juvavum''. Its first abbess was Saint Erentrudis of Salzburg, who was either a niece or a sister of Bishop Rupert. The abbey's endowment was provided by the

Agilolfing The Agilolfings were a noble family that ruled the Duchy of Bavaria on behalf of their Merovingian suzerains from about 550 until 788. A cadet branch of the Agilolfings also ruled the Kingdom of the Lombards intermittently from 616 to 712. T ...

duke

Theodo of Bavaria Theodo (about 625 – 11 December c. 716), also known as Theodo V and Theodo II, was the Duke of Bavaria from 670 or, more probably, 680 to his death. It is with Theodo that the well-sourced history of Bavaria begins. He strengthened his duchy ...

and his successor Theodbert. The nuns, all of noble birth, held extended estates up the

Salzach The Salzach (Austrian: �saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central E ...

river in the south of the city. The convent's possessions were later augmented by Emperor Henry II, who was also

Duke of Bavaria The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and Monarch, kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic States of Germany, state in th ...

. The Benedictine rule was finally implemented under Archbishop

Conrad I of Salzburg Conrad I f Abenberg(german: Konrad von Abenberg, c. 1075 – 9 April 1147) was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria, in the first half of the 12th century. Born into the Abenberg- Frensdorf nobility, Conrad was raised for a clerical career at the cou ...

in the early 12th century. The abbey became independent of the founding house from 987. After a blaze about 1006, the abbey church was re-built with the support of Henry II; he and his consort

Cunigunde of Luxembourg Cunigunde of Luxembourg, OSB (german: Kunigunde) ( 975 – 3 March 1033), also called Cunegundes, Cunegunda, and Cunegonda and, in Latin, Cunegundis or Kinigundis, was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry II ...

attended the consecration in 1009. This Romanesque building was again largely destroyed in a fire of 1423. Reconstruction took place between 1464 and 1509. In 1624 the church was enlarged by the addition of three side chapels. A refurbishment in the

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 ...

style took place in the 1880s.

Commemorative coin

The Abbey was selected as main motif for the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin minted on April 5, 2006. This was the first coin of the series "Great Abbeys of Austria". It shows the Benedictine convent of Nonnberg Abbey. On the hilltop in the background,

Hohensalzburg Fortress Hohensalzburg Fortress (german: Festung Hohensalzburg, lit=High Salzburg Fortress) is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. It sits atop the Festungsberg at an altitude of 506 m. It was erected at the behest of the Prince-Arc ...

and the Kajetaner church can be seen. The abbey and fortress are connected by the

Reisszug The Reisszug (also spelt Reißzug or Reiszug) is a private cable railway providing goods access to the Hohensalzburg Castle at Salzburg in Austria. It is notable for its extreme age, as it is believed to date back to either 1495 or 1504. The Reis ...

, one of the world's oldest extant railways.

In popular culture

Through Maria Augusta Kutschera, later Maria Augusta von Trapp, who became a postulant in the abbey in 1924 and whose life was the basis for the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

(1959) and film (1965) ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'', the abbey has acquired international fame. The Mother Abbess during Maria's time at Nonnberg was Sister Virgilia Lütz (1869-1949). Nonnberg Abbey is featured in movies depicting the life of Maria Augusta Kutschera, namely ''The Sound of Music'' and '' Die Trapp-Familie''.

Gallery

File:2006 Austria 10 Euro Nonnberg Abbey front.jpg, Euro gold and silver commemorative coin File:The wooden Gothic altar by the sculptor Veit Stoss.jpg, The wooden Gothic altar in the St. John's Chapel by the sculptor

Veit Stoss Veit Stoss (also: ''Veit Stoß'' and ''Stuoss''; pl, Wit Stwosz; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renaiss ...

File:Pillars inside Nonnberg Abbey.jpg, Pillars inside the St. John's Chapel in Nonnberg Abbey File:The entrance door to Nonnberg Abbey.jpg, The entrance door to the St. John's Chapel in Nonnberg Abbey which is open to the public File:The way to the Abbey gate.jpg, The road to the gate of Nonnberg Abbey File:The entrance gate of the Nonnberg Abbey.jpg, The entrance gate of the Nonnberg Abbey which is open to the public

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Franz Esterl: ''Chronik des adeligen Benediktiner-Frauen-Stiftes Nonnberg in Salzburg'', Salzburg, 184
(at Google Books, in German)

External links

www.nonnberg.at
Official Website
Nonnberg Abbey
at Sacred Destinations

at Visit-Salzburg
Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg
at UNESCO {{Authority control Benedictine monasteries in Austria Christian monasteries established in the 8th century Benedictine nunneries in Austria Monasteries in Salzburg Tourist attractions in Salzburg Churches completed in 714 Establishments in the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg