Viktring Abbey (german: Stift Viktring, sl, Opatija Vetrinj) is a former
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 the
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n state of
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
. Stift Viktring is now the name of the
Roman Catholic
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 lette ...
parish in Viktring, since 1973 a district of the Carinthian capital
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
.
History
![Klagenfurt Viktring Stiftskirche SW-Ansicht 01092009 67](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Klagenfurt_Viktring_Stiftskirche_SW-Ansicht_01092009_67.jpg)
Viktring Abbey was established in 1142 by Cistercian monks from
Villers-Bettnach Abbey
Villers-Bettnach Abbey ( la, Villerium; german: Weiler-Bettnach) is a former Cistercian abbey in the commune of Saint-Hubert in the Moselle department, France. The monastery site is about 22 kilometres north-east of Metz, in the valley of the lit ...
in the
Duchy of Lorraine (in the modern
Saint-Hubert), of the filiation of
Morimond. Its lands were probably a gift of Count Bernhard of
Spanheim
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a medieval German noble family, which originated in Rhenish Franconia. They were immediate Counts of Sponheim until 1437 and Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269. Its cadet branches ruled in the Imperial C ...
-Marburg (
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
), brother of
Duke Engelbert of Carinthia, and his wife Kunigunde, daughter of Margrave
Ottokar II of Styria
Ottokar II (died 28 November 1122) was Margrave of Styria.
Biography
He was the son of Ottokar I and grandfather of Ottokar III, from the dynasty of the Otakars. In the investiture dispute, he sided with the pope, which resulted in a battle ...
. As early as 13 May in the following year the first abbot, Eberhard, was consecrated. The abbey church was dedicated 60 years later by
Eberhard of Regensburg,
Archbishop of Salzburg, in 1202.
In 1234 the Carinthian duke
Bernhard von Spanheim founded Landstrass Abbey, latterly also known as Kostanjevica Abbey, a daughter house of Viktring in the
March of Carniola, in the modern
Kostanjevica in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
.
The most notable abbot was the chronicler
John of Viktring, confidant of Duke
Henry of Bohemia, who assumed his office in 1312. Under Abbot Johannes II in 1411 the greater part of Viktring Abbey burnt down. Vigorous re-building in the abbey and the parishes belonging to it was however made possible by decree of the Cistercian General Chapter. In 1447 the German king
Frederick III of Habsburg
Frederick III (German: ''Friedrich III,'' 21 September 1415 – 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death. He was the fourth king and first emperor of the House of Habsburg. He was the penultimate emperor to be crowne ...
presented the abbey church with an altar.
Viktring Abbey was dissolved during the
rationalist reforms of
Emperor Joseph II by decree of 19 May 1786. The parish of Stift Viktring retained possession only of the church and the former priest's house. The altar was removed to St. Bernard's Abbey in
Wiener Neustadt, and when that was merged into
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 ...
in 1885, sold to
St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
St. Stephen's Cathedral (german: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedra ...
, where it is to be seen opposite Emperor Frederick's tomb.
Moro Brothers textile factory
![RitterstandsDiplom - Moro 1820 - Wappen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/RitterstandsDiplom_-_Moro_1820_-_Wappen.jpg)
Part of the premises and lands were bought at auction on 10 November 1788 by the brothers Johann and Christoph Moro, who set up a textile factory here. In 1796 they succeeded in acquiring a long lease of the lordship of Viktring. The rise of the firm "Gebrüder Moro" was spectacular; in 1816 the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
Emperor
Francis I of Habsburg visited the factory with his wife
Caroline Augusta of Bavaria
Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria (german: Karoline Auguste; Mannheim, 8 February 1792 – 9 February 1873 in Vienna) was Empress of Austria by marriage to Francis I of Austria. She was a daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and P ...
. The firm painstakingly cultivated its connections to the Imperial family, and received further visits in 1850 and 1852 from Emperor
Franz Joseph.
By 1897 the Moro family had acquired the entire monastery and its rights. In 1925 Adeline von Botka, the last surviving member of the family, sold the textile factory "Gebrüder Moro" to Baron Josef Aichelburg-Zosenegg. In 1942 he committed suicide, and the company was taken over by the "Hamburger Aero-Maschinen- und Werkzeugfabrik". In 1956 the Reichmann company acquired the concern, but went out of business ten years later.
In 1970 the Austrian government bought the buildings and set up a secondary school here in 1977, which in 1980 became independent as the ''"Realgymnasium unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der musischen Ausbildung"''. On 23 September 1999 the official opening of the
BRG Klagenfurt-Viktring The BRG Klagenfurt-Viktring is a ''Bundesrealgymnasium'' in the 13th district of Klagenfurt ( Viktring), Austria. Emphasis is placed on the musical education and in art education. In addition, there is also a branch with emphasis on science; thi ...
, well known for its specialisation in musical education, took place.
External links
*
Stift Viktring parish*
Viktring Abbey church*
{{Authority control
Cistercian monasteries in Austria
Monasteries in Carinthia (state)
1142 establishments in Europe
Religious organizations established in the 1140s
1786 disestablishments in Europe
Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
Tourist attractions in Carinthia (state)