St Peter's Abbey

Salzburg, Austria

St Peter's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and former cathedral in Salzburg. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking area, and in fact the oldest with a continuous history. St Peter's Abbey was founded in 696 by Saint Rupert at the site of a Late Antique church stemming from the first Christianization in the area. Likewise the establishment of the monastery was meant to forward the missionary work in the Eastern Alps.

In the Middle Ages, St Peter's was known for its exceptional writing school. In 1074, Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg sent several monks to the newly established filial monastery of Admont in the March of Styria. In the 15th century, the abbey adopted the Melk Reforms. In 1623, Archbishop Paris Graf von Lodron founded the Benedictine University of Salzburg, which until its dissolution in 1810 was closely connected to the abbey.

From 1641, the abbey was a member of the Salzburg Congregation, merged in 1930 into the present Austrian Congregation (of which it is the principal house) of the Benedictine Confederation.

In 1926, the endeavours for the establishment of a Catholic university led to the foundation of the Benedictine college, on which later the re-foundation of the University of Salzburg was based. In 1927, St Peter's was raised to the status of an Archabbey. Upon the Austrian Anschluss to Nazi Germany in 1938, the premises were seized and the monks expelled. Nevertheless, the monastery was not dissolved and the monks returned after the war.

Abbey church

The present-day Romanesque abbey church at the northern foot of the Mönchsberg was erected from about 1130 onwards at the site of a previous Carolingian church building, it was dedicated to Saint Peter in 1147. One of the organs had been built on the rood screen in 1444 by Heinrich Traxdorf of Mainz. While the steeple received its onion dome in 1756, the interior, already re-modelled several times, was refurbished in the Rococo style between 1760 and 1782 under Abbot Beda Seeauer by Franz Xaver König, Lorenz Härmbler, Johann Högler, Benedikt Zöpf and others. The high altar is a work by Martin Johann Schmidt. The St Mary's Chapel contains the grave of Abbot Johann von Staupitz (d. 1524), a friend of Martin Luther.

Mozart's Great Mass in C minor was scheduled to premiere in the church, probably on 26 October 1783, with his wife Constanze singing first soprano. However, the work remained incomplete.

Next to the altar where St. Rupert is entombed lies the tombs of Mozart's sister Maria Anna Mozart (Nannerl), and Johann Michael Haydn. Also entombed at St. Peter's Abbey is St. Vitalis.

Library

St Peter's houses the oldest library in Austria. Among the 800 manuscripts the most precious is the Verbrüderungsbuch, which was deposited in 784 by Bishop Virgil. Through continual acquisition, the library has grown to 100,000 volumes, focusing particularly on Benedictine monasticism, medieval church history, history of art, and items relating to the local history of Salzburg, or Salisburgensia. Special collections include incunabulae and early editions, graphics including the devotional images collection of Father Gregor Reitlechner and the map collection.

Cemetery

The Petersfriedhof was probably laid out during the foundation of the monastery about 700. The burial ground was first mentioned under the rule of Archbishop Conrad I in 1139, with the oldest preserved graves from 1288 and 1300. It is centred around Lathe Gothic St Margaret's Chapel and the Chapel of the Cross, dedicated about 1170 and refurbished as a mausoleum according to plans by Santino Solari in 1614/15. Several tombs are located in arcades built at the foot of the Festungsberg hill.

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Details

Founded: 696 AD
Category: Religious sites in Austria

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Tessnim Boulfoul (11 months ago)
Insanely beautiful and majestic. A must visit in Salzburg in my opinion. The church and chapels you can enter free of charge, the catacombs you need to pay 2 euros for. I also recommend going into the catacombs because you get an amazing view of the whole abbey from there it feels unreal.
Bogdan Marcelan (15 months ago)
St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, founded around the year 700, is the oldest monastery in the German-speaking area. Church of the Abbey of St. Peter, the cemetery of St. Petra, the oldest library in Austria. Fans of the movie My Songs, My Dreams will recognize the cemetery and its catacombs from the movie.
renee kroll (17 months ago)
I really enjoyed this area. It has the oldest Abbey in Europe dating back to the 7th century. The oldest church we couldn't go in. But you can peek thru 2 man-made holes in the door. The church is surrounded by cemeteries, adorned with perennials and flowers. There are other cemeteries at the periphery with statues and paintings. Then there is the catacombs. The only thing you pay for here in the St. Peter's Abbey. Just 2 Euros or very inexpensive. Nothing compared to Italy's catacombs. The catacombs I'd actually say should be called "chapel". There were no skulls or skeletons. And no mannequins to indicate where people where buried but it's amazing to see. It's actually built onto the side of a mountain wall. There is also a beautiful church ( you can go I'm this one), a great little seen restaurant and Christian shop. DEFINITELY a must see this area in Salzburg!!!
Vishesh Saxena (20 months ago)
Its such a grand and beautiful church that you will be awestruck. One of the grandest cathedral I have been to. Its located in the city center. Entry is free.
Brian Saylor (2 years ago)
Very nice area. There is a nice plaza with fountain. A little gift shop has very reasonable items for sale. You can also catch a glimpse of the oldest restaurant still operating.
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