Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...
Bishop of Passau
The Diocese of Passau (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.canons regular
The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...
Bishop of Passau
The Diocese of Passau (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising."Göttweig Abbey", Donau Niederosterreich /ref> the foundation charter, dated 9 September 1083, is still preserved in the abbey archives.
By 1094, the discipline of the community had become so lax that Bishop Ulrich of Passau, with the permission of
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...
, introduced the
Rule of St. Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up ...
. Prior Hartmann of
St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest
Saint Blaise Abbey () was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in the village of Sankt Blasien, St. Blasien in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History 9th–12th centuries
The early history of the abbey is obscure. ...
was elected abbot. He brought with him from St. Blaise's a number of chosen monks, among whom were Blessed Wirnto and Blessed Berthold, later abbots of Formbach and Garsten respectively.Ott, Michael. "Abbey of Göttweig." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 14 January 2023
Under Hartmann (1094–1114) Göttweig became a famous seat of learning and strict monastic observance. He founded a monastic school, organized a library, and at the foot of the hill built a nunnery where it is believed that Ava, the earliest
German language
German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
woman poet known by name (d. 1127), lived as an
anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, Asceticism , ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorit ...
. The nunnery, which was afterwards transferred to the top of the hill, continued to exist until 1557.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, however, the abbey declined to such an extent that between 1556 and 1564 it had no abbot at all, and in 1564 not a single monk remained. At this crisis, an imperial deputation arrived at Göttweig and elected Michael Herrlich, a monk of
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey () is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several member ...
, as abbot. The new abbot, who held his office until 1603, restored the monastery spiritually and financially, and rebuilt it after it had been almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1580.
Abbots distinguished during the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
were George Falb (1612–1631) and David Corner (1631–1648), who successfully opposed the spread of
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. Executed by
Paul Troger
Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) 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 pale ...
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
The abbey has a library of 150,000 books and manuscripts, a particularly important collection of religious engravings, and valuable collections of coins, antiquities, musical manuscripts and natural history, all of which survived the dangers of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and its immediate aftermath almost without loss.
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 () is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.
Origin
The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monastic congregations that nevertheless retain their own aut ...
; as of 2023, the monks number about 30.
The abbey is part of the
Wachau
The Wachau () is an Austrian valley formed by the Danube River. It is one of the most prominent tourism in Austria, tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located between the towns of Melk and Krems an der Donau, Krems that attracts epicureans ...
, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. It is famous for apricot jams and wines crafted on location; the monastery is home to the highest apricot orchard in Austria's Wachau Valley. Göttweig Abbey is along the World Heritage Trail, the Dunkelsteinerwald Trail, or the Way of St. James.
Göttweig Abbey was selected as the main motif of a very high-value collectors' coin: the Austrian Göttweig Abbey commemorative coin, minted on October 11, 2006. The obverse side shows the abbey with its fortress-like towers on top of the hill surrounded by trees and vineyards.
Gallery
Goettweig z00.jpg, Abbey Church and Cloister
Stift Goettweig Stiftskirche02.jpg, Abbey church
Stiftskirche Göttweig Innenraum 04.JPG, Nave, high altar, and pulpit
Stiftskirche Göttweig Orgel 03.JPG, Nave and organ
Erentrudis z01.JPG, Erentrudis Chapel
Stift Göttweig Kaiserstiege Fresko 01.JPG, Imperial Staircase: Apotheosis of Charles VI (fresco by
Paul Troger
Paul Troger (30 October 1698 – 20 July 1762) 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 pale ...
* Lechner, Gregor, 1988: ''Das Benediktinerstift Gottweig in der Wachau und seine Sammlungen''. Munich: Schnell & Steiner.
* ''Geschichte des Stiftes Göttweig 1083–1983. Festschrift zum 900-Jahr-Jubiläum''. EOS-Verlag, St. Ottilien 1983 (Studien und Mitteilungen zur Geschichte des Benediktiner-Ordens und seiner Zweige, Bd. 94, H. I–II)
* ''900 Jahre Stift Göttweig 1083-1983. Ein Donaustift als Repräsentant benediktinischer Kultur, Katalog zur Jubiläumsausstellung'', Stift Göttweig, Eigenverlag, 1983
* Lashofer, Clemens Anton,1983 : ''Professbuch des Benediktinerstiftes Göttweig''. EOS-Verlag, St. Ottilien (Studien und Mitteilungen zur Geschichte des Benediktiner-Ordens und seiner Zweige, Erg.-Bd. 26)
Aichinger-Rosenberger, Peter, 2011: „Ecclesia beate mariae in monte kottwich. Zur mittelalterlichen Baugeschichte der Stiftskirche von Göttweig – Ergebnisse einer Bauforschung“. Dissertation for Vienna University