![Wien Freyung Schottenstift](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Wien_Freyung_Schottenstift.jpg)
The Schottenstift ( en, Scottish Abbey), formally called Benediktinerabtei unserer Lieben Frau zu den Schotten ( en, Benedictine Abbey of Our Dear Lady of the Scots), is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
founded in
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 1155 when
Henry II of Austria brought Irish monks to Vienna. The monks did not come directly from
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, but came instead from
Scots Monastery in
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Since 1625, the abbey has been a member of the
Austrian Congregation The Austrian Congregation is a congregation of Benedictine monasteries situated in Austria, within the Benedictine Confederation.
History
The Congregation was founded on 3 August 1625 by Pope Urban VIII, and consisted of eleven Benedictine monaster ...
, now within the
Benedictine Confederation
The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.
Origin
The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...
.
History
![Jasomirgott (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Jasomirgott_%282%29.JPG)
In the early Middle Ages, Irish monks were actively involved in
missionary work
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
. Ireland was known in Latin as "
Scotia Major"; therefore, in German, Irish monks were called "''Schotten''" (Scots) or "''Iroschotten''". The monasteries that they founded were called "''Schottenklöster''". In the foundation documents of the Schottenstift, Henry II specified that it was to be occupied exclusively by these "Iroschotten" ("Solos elegimus Scottos").
Henry II was elevated from the rank of Margrave (''Markgraf'') to that of Duke (''Herzog'') in 1156. He moved his residence from
Klosterneuburg to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and required a monastery for his new city. In the Middle Ages, monasteries were not only places for prayer, but also and above all, repositories of knowledge. The foundation of a monastery gave the ruler support for his administration (for example, schools to educate competent scribes). It also provided a library, a hospice and old age home, architects, educated men, and priests to conduct services in the new ducal city. The "''Schotten''" would also be involved with the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
, which was founded in 1365.
Henry granted the new monastery extensive
privileges. Construction of the first monastery started in 1160, and the structure was consecrated in 1200. The monastery was outside the city walls of Vienna. The monks also built a hospice for pilgrims and crusaders, who often passed through Vienna on their way to Jerusalem.
The first church was a three-aisled, Romanesque, pillar church with a single apse. Henry II was buried there upon his death in 1177.
A fire in the year 1276 destroyed the cloister, along with many other buildings in Vienna.
In 1418, Duke
Albert V seized the cloister during the
Melker Reform, an attempt to revive the original ideals of Benedictine monasticism, and settled a community of
Benedictines
, 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 ...
in their place. These new residents, however, continued to be known as the "''Schotten''".
In the middle of the 15th century, the monastery was distinguished through the literary activities of its schoolmaster,
Wolfgang Schmeltzl
Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...
, and his successor,
Johannes Rasch
Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as "John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, ''Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Yeh ...
.
![Schottenkloster 1672 Vischer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Schottenkloster_1672_Vischer.jpg)
The collapse of the tower, struck by a lightning bolt in 1638, was seized as an opportunity to completely rebuild the church, a project undertaken by the architects Andrea d'Allio the Younger and Silvestro Carlone. The church was somewhat shortened, and the tower no longer stood directly beside the basilica.
Joachim von Sandrart provided the church with a new altar piece, which today is kept in the prelates' hall. After the Turkish siege, the church was restored. As the Baroque west tower was barely higher than the façade itself, its extension has often been proposed, but this has never come to fruition.
Around 1700 the great Baroque musician
Johann Fux was the organist at the Schottenstift.
In 1773 and 1774, a new priory, with school, was built by Andreas Zach in the grounds of an open air cemetery. As it resembled a piece of furniture, it became popularly known as the ''Schubladkastenhaus'' ("the chest-of-drawers house"). Directly next door stood the ''Hotel Römischer Kaiser'', where the first public performance of a song by
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
was held.
In 1807 the ''
Schottengymnasium
Schottengymnasium (officially the Öffentliches Schottengymnasium der Benediktiner in Wien)
is an independent Catholic gymnasium with public status in the First District of Vienna. The school was founded in 1807 by imperial decree, and is consi ...
'', an institute for secondary education, was founded by imperial decree.
Around 1830, the auxiliary buildings of the Abbey, in particular those that bordered on the
Freyung, were renovated and partially rebuilt by
Joseph Kornhäusel
Josef Georg Kornhäusel (13 November 1782, in Vienna - 31 October 1860, in Vienna) was an Austrian architect of the first half of the 19th century. He primarily employed the contemporary style of Neoclassical architecture, moving to the Biederme ...
.
In the 1880s the church was restored and partially renovated. From this period date the ceiling paintings by Julius Schmid, and a new high altar, built from sketches by
Heinrich von Ferstel, with a
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
by Michael Rieser.
In the court, there is a ''Schwarze Muttergottes'' (a "
Black Madonna"), designed in 1825 by Peter Nobile. The fountain, with a statue of Henry II, is the work of Sebastian Wagner.
Museum
The museum has been reinstalled twice in recent history, in 1994/95 and in 2004/5. It contains, among other notable items, the ''Schottenmeisteraltar'' from ca. 1470, which is not only a significant work of late Gothic art, but also an important historical source, on account of its views of the city.
Open on Thursday until Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 11 am to 4.30 pm. Guided Tour on Saturday, 2.30 pm (church, crypt, library and museum).
Location
The Schottenstift is located on the
Freyung (Freyung 6, A-1010 Wien) in Vienna, Austria.
References
Further reading
* Heinrich Ferenczy (Text), Christoph Merth (Fotos): ''Das Schottenstift und seine Kunstwerke''. Orac, Vienna 1980, .
* Franz Goldhann (Hrsg.): ''Gülten-Buch des Schottenklosters in Wien v. J. 1314–1327''. In: Quellen und Forschungen zur vaterländischen Geschichte, Literatur und Kunst. Braumüller, Vienna 1849, S. 163–208.
* Cölestin Roman Rapf: ''Das Schottenstift''. (= Wiener Geschichtsbücher; Bd. 13). Zsolnay, Vienna and Hamburg 1974, .
External links
*
Viennapass.de/
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Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt
Religion in Vienna
Benedictine monasteries in Austria
12th century in Austria
1150s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1155 establishments in Europe
Religious organizations established in the 1150s
Irish monastic foundations in continental Europe
Establishments in the Duchy of Austria
Religious museums in Austria
Art museums and galleries in Vienna
Burial sites of the House of Süpplinburger