Dürnstein Abbey
Dürnstein Abbey is a former monastery in Dürnstein in the Wachau in Lower Austria . Today the buildings and the large property belong to the Augustinian canons - Herzogenburg Monastery , which also looks after the Dürnstein parish . The tower of the collegiate church with its blue and white coloring is considered the landmark of the Wachau. The collegiate church, which has also been a parish church since 1745, is consecrated to the Assumption of Mary (patronage festival August 15).
history
In 1372 a chapel was founded on the site of today's monastery . In 1400 this was expanded and a crypt was built. Dürnstein Abbey was founded in 1410. With the abolition of the monastery in 1788 under Emperor Joseph II , the Dürnstein monastery with its parishes and the associated buildings became part of the Herzogenburg Augustinian canons monastery, to which it still belongs today. The large property belonging to it fell to the Starhemberg family, who still manage the property today, and the vineyards were sold to the Dürnstein winegrowers' cooperative in 1938.
Building history
- In 1371 Elsbeth von Wallsee built a chapel in honor of St. Mary and together with her cousin Heidenreich von Meissau founded 3 chaplains.
- 1395 Hans III. von Maissau donated a fourth chaplaincy and decreed that a chorale should be held every day and that three silent masses should be read every day .
- In 1399, Hans III. von Maissau and Stephan von Haslach from the Wallseern Güter zu Willendorf and donated them to the Dürnsteiner Foundation.
- In 1402 under Otto IV and Leutold II von Kuenring, the chapel of the Dürnstein fortress was merged with the women's chapel with the consent of Duke Albrecht IV. This ensured the maintenance of 10 priests. This was an essential step in the development of the Dürnstein provost.
- In 1408 the Bishop of Passau, Count Georg Hohenlohe, appointed senior chaplain Stephan von Haslach as dean.
- In 1409, with the death of Dürnstein pastor Heinrich Schenk, the parish of the Kunigunden parish church fell to the Frauenkirche under the dean Stephan von Haslach. Bishop Count Georg Hohenlohe tied the merger of the churches to the condition that a collegiate foundation had to be established within 2 years .
- In 1410, when regulated canons from Wittingau (Bohemia) moved to Dürnstein, the condition of Bishop Hohenlohe was met. Instead of the required collegiate foundation, a monastery was created. After Stephan von Haslach refused, Martin from Wittingau was elected the first provost of the Dürnstein monastery. On June 14, 1410, Bishop Count Georg Hohenlohe confirmed the founding of the Dürnstein Monastery. The parish of Dürnstein , the chapel of the fortress Dürnstein and the parish of Grafenwörth were incorporated .
300 years after the monastery was founded, Hieronymus Übelbacher was elected provost in 1710 . The building was in bad shape, so he decided to give it a baroque style. He combined this with a large conceptual content and was the focus and coordinator of the artistic program. Today's interior and exterior design comes from the architects and builders Joseph Munggenast , Jakob Prandtauer and Matthias Steinl . When Dürnstein got its baroque appearance, religion, science and culture were closely interrelated. Most striking is the blue and white tower of the collegiate church, which has been restored to its original color. The theological program of the Dürnsteiner Stiftsturm is:
- "Salvation is in the cross, we are saved through the cross, all suffering leads to the glory of the resurrection ."
The tower is covered with precious reliefs of the Passion of Christ. On the crown is the transfigured cross: in this sign Christ conquered suffering and death. The evangelists stand under the cross as its interpreters. Four obelisks on the tower bear the images of the apostles . They are witnesses of Christ: witnesses of his life, suffering and resurrection.
restoration
For two centuries only the most urgent maintenance work could be carried out on the monastery. Since 1985, a joint initiative by Herzogenburg Abbey , Lower Austria , the Diocese of St. Pölten , the Ministry of Science , the City of Dürnstein , the media and many private donors has made it possible to raise the total cost of 50 million schillings and use the building outside and in important interior areas ( cloister , Ballroom) to undergo a thorough restoration. In 1994 work began on the crypt chapel. In 1998, the harvest festival marked the end of the exterior renovation.
During the restoration in the 1980s, it was stained blue. Due to the numerous calculations under Provost Hieronymus about smalte blue dyes, it is assumed that the tower of the collegiate church got this color at the time. It was therefore decided to give the church tower this color, which was regarded as the original. At the time of the restoration, the color scheme was highly controversial. Only in the following years did the tower in this color develop into a landmark in the Wachau. Due to the distinctive colors and the material that makes it look ceramic, it is perceived as an architectural signal in the landscape.
In the last few decades the complex has been renovated again and again (roofs, monastery portal, church portal). With the renovation in winter 2018/2019, the new permanent exhibition “Discovery of the Valuable” was set up in rooms that were previously inaccessible to the public (Gothic columned hall). This means that a large part of the building is used for tourism. In the rear wing there are apartments for private individuals. The Dürnstein elementary school is also located in the monastery building. There is no section that is empty.
List of provosts
- Martin, officiated 1410-1421
- Nicholas I, officiated 1421–1431
- Johannes von Waidhofen, officiated 1431–1469
- Leonhard Kalaunser, officiated 1469–1471
- Andreas, officiated 1471–1492
- Alexius Süß (Suess), officiated 1492–1493
- Gregor, officiated 1493–1512
- Nikolaus II. Viereckl, officiated 1512–1521
- Heinrich Lundauer, officiated in 1521
- Urban Hanal, officiated 1521–1544
- Franz Abstemius, officiated 1544–1553
- Leopold Maurer, officiated 1554–1564
- Kaspar Pangel, officiated 1564–1571
- Jakob Reisser, officiated 1571–1573
- Adam Faber, officiated 1573–1589
- Matthias Schreckeisen, officiated 1590–1595
- Nicholas III Arnold, officiated in 1596
- Balthasar Puchseer, officiated 1597–1599
- Melchior Kniepichler, officiated 1599–1609
- Thomas Parstorffer, officiated 1609–1612
- Melchior Kniepichler, officiated 1618–1628
- Nikolaus IV. Hay, officiated 1628–1657
- Matthias Feldhorn, officiated 1658–1664
- Reinhard Faust, officiated 1664–1668
- Honorius Arthofer, officiated 1668–1678
- Karl Donray, officiated 1678–1692
- Gottfried von Haslingen, officiated 1692–1710
- Hieronymus Übelbacher , officiated 1710–1740
- Maximilian Leeb, officiated 1740–1750
- Dominik Ruemer, officiated 1751–1787
literature
- Helga Penz, Andreas Zajic: Dürnstein Abbey. 600 years of monastery and culture in the Wachau (series of publications by the Waldviertler Heimatbund, Volume 51). Horn, Waidhofen / Thaya 2010, ISBN 978-3-900708-25-2 .
- Castles, monasteries and chateaux: Waldviertel regions, Danube region, South Bohemia, Vysočina, South Moravia . ISBN 978-3-9502262-2-5 , p. 27 ff
- Wolfgang Payrich, Helga Penz: Dürnstein 1410–1788, in: The former monasteries of the Augustinian Canons in Austria and South Tyrol, ed. from the Propst-Gebhard-Koberger-Institute for research into the history of the Augustinian Canons under the direction of Floridus Röhrig, Klosterneuburg 2005, ISBN 3-902177-22-5 , pp. 51-100
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Document: Documents Dürnstein, Augustiner Chorherren (1298-1785) 1410 II 17 (Foundation document of Otto von Maissau from February 17, 1410) in the European document archive Monasterium.net .
- ↑ Christian Dietl, Unterm Georgskreuz (Presentation in the book "Helga Penz, Andreas Zajic: Stift Dürnstein. 600 years of monastery and culture in the Wachau " - page 228)
- ^ Statements by the Herzogenburg provost Maximilian Fürnsinn on the 25th anniversary of the restoration on November 27, 2011 on ORF-NÖ TV.
Coordinates: 48 ° 23 ′ 43 ″ N , 15 ° 31 ′ 8 ″ E