Danube Interlude - Melk Abbey

Overview of the Danube Cruise

My husband and I were in Paris for a month in June, 2014, and while there, took a Danube River cruise which started in Vienna, passed through Slovakia, and ended up in Budapest, Hungary.  The cruise line was CroisiEurope, based in Strasbourg, France. The cruise lasted seven days and returned to the starting point in Vienna.

Excursions from the boat were optional, but many of them were not-to-be-missed: they were the Melk Abbey tour; the Bratislava, Slovakia, tour; tours of the Paprika Museum, The House of Folk Arts, and the Hungarian “Wild West” show in Kalosca, Hungary; the Esztergom Basilica tour; and a tour of Budapest, Hungary. We had native guides who were both passionate and informative about their countries.

Our ship was the MS Beethoven, docked on the Danube River near the Reichsbrucke 

(Imperial Bridge), Vienna’s most famous bridge. 

The docks at this port in Vienna are lined with river boats--

the Danube River cruise is a very popular one.

A Promenade right beside the Danube stretches in the opposite direction from the ships.

Swans congregate beside the Promenade, probably because people feed them there.

The beds in our cabin were decorated with a clever swan/towel arrangement.

Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Austria and among the world's most famous monasteries. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky bluff overlooking the Danube river between Salzburg and Vienna.  The House of Babenberg was the ruling noble family of Austria from 976 to 1246. In 976, Leopold I made the castle in Melk his residence, and his successors provided it with valuable treasures and relics. In the 11th century, Leopold II of Babenberg presented the palace at Melk to Benedictine monks, who turned it into a fortified abbey. To this day, the monastery is more like a palace than a religious house.

Since 976, monks have lived and worked there without interruption following the rule of St. Benedict. The influence and reputation of Melk Abbey as a center of learning and culture spread throughout Austria. Since the twelfth century, monks have created and collected countless medieval manuscripts which now reside in the Library of the abbey. The monastic community of Melk is over 900 years old and is now also a prestigious coed monastery school with more than 700 students.

Map of the town of Melk, where our ship docked

The staircase descends from the parking lot. 

A terraced garden to the right of the staircase

The domed entrance gate, flanked by two statues, Saint Coloman and Saint  Leopold 

Ceiling fresco in Saint Benedict’s Hall, depicting Saint Benedict gesturing toward his Rule
 You see this overhead as you pass through the entrance gate and into the forecourt.

The forecourt of the abbey with its palace-like façade  

On small pedestals stand statues of Saint Peter (with key) and Saint Paul (with sword), the abbey's patron saints. The abbot used to greet guests from the small balcony between the statues of the saints.

  

The maxim is Latin for, “Glory is found only in the Cross.” A reproduction of the Melk cross is at the peak of the roof.

The Prelate’s Court (a prelate is a bishop or other high-ranking member of the clergy) is an inner courtyard that occupies an area equivalent to a small soccer field. From the courtyard, you can see the great cupola of the church over the roof of the abbey.

Close-up of the 17th century Baroque fountain in the center of the courtyard

The fountain is highly decorative, with jets of water spewing from the telamones (male caryatids), from gargoyles around the first level of the fountain, from the bowl of the second level and from the head of the little merman atop the fountain 

THE IMPERIAL STAIRCASE

Cherubs and stone statues lead to the second floor and the Imperial Rooms, where Austrian rulers and other notables stayed when they visited the abbey. A dozen or so of the once Imperial chambers have been converted into a museum devoted to the Abbey’s history and now house many of its treasures.

On the first landing is a sculptured group with the motto of Emperor Charles VI, under whose reign the Abbey was rebuilt in the 1700s. His motto was "Constantia et Fortitudine" (Through Persistence and Bravery).

Moses with the Ten Commandments tablets on the landing to the left

It may be Joshua with trumpet, the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses. (In the Bible, Joshua blew his horn and the walls of the enemy town of Jericho tumbled down.) This sculpture is on the landing to the right.

SAINT BENEDICT AND THE BLUE ROOM

Saint Benedict  is shown here with the pectoral cross and abbot’s staff. Worn on the chest, a pectoral cross is indicative of a high-ranking member of the clergy. The message from Saint Benedict, “Hore,” in the blue room means, “Listen with your heart.”

The Rule of Saint Benedict is a book of precepts for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. Benedict’s purpose was to provide a Rule by which anyone might follow the Gospel’s teachings and live, work, pray, and save his soul.

Our docent, Isabella, was a theology student at the Abbey.

Emperor Francis I (1708-1765) was the husband of Maria Theresa.

Empress Maria Theresa, (1717-1780) was the Queen of Hungary, and frequent visitor to Melk Abbey. She was also Marie-Antoinette's mother.

THE ABBEY MUSEUM TREASURY ROOMS 

The monstrance is used to display the Eucharistic host.

The golden crucifix is an image of Jesus on the cross. 

The Holy Chalice is the vessel which Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve the wine. Chalices used during Mass hold sacramental wine and are often richly made.

This Romanesque crucifix is from the late 12th century.
It is made of  linden wood and is  one of the oldest wooden crosses in Austria.

The lever on this reusable casket opens the trap-door to drop the corpse into the grave.

Model of the town of Melk and the Abbey

Revolving model of Melk Abbey

THE MARBLE HALL

The Imperial Corridor leads to the Marble Hall (Marmorsaal). The ceiling frescoes by Paul Troger liken mythological characters to the ruling house of Austria. The wise and moderate ways of Athena triumph over the brute force of Hercules, or, symbolically, Reason guides Humanity toward the Light of Civilization. The Austrians are also practical-minded, as only the door frames and pediments are of genuine marble, and the walls are of marble stucco. The Hall is two stories in height, with windows on three sides, and is divided by pilasters with capitals (columns with decorative tops.) 

Ceiling frescoes of mythological scenes

There are two stories in this ceiling art: Hercules, conquering the Hound of Hell, and Athena, on a chariot drawn by lions. The ceiling is flat but is painted to create the illusion of a domed ceiling.

Library Stairwell

The spiral staircase connects the library to two upper floor reading rooms. The Melk Abbey library became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection, and it was a major site for the production of manuscripts. At the bottom of the stairwell, there is a big circular mirror that shows the spirals of the staircase beautifully. Unfortunately, photos of the library are not allowed.

“The Balconies” is a massive terrace linking the Marble Hall and the Library, with views of the Danube valley. 

A view of the surrounding countryside from the terrace

A view of the parish church and village from the terrace

Robert and Isabella on the terrace

Façade of the Melk Abbey Church

The Melk Abbey church ranks as the finest Baroque church north of the Alps. 

Between the two Baroque onion-domed towers of the church stands a monumental statue of Christ. 

A marble statue of Jesus carrying the Cross and flanked by two angels 

High Altar 

After a fire in 1974, restoration efforts took ten years and were completed in 1987. Statues and altars were regilded with more than eight pounds of gold bullion. As a result, visitors who make the trip to Melk will have a chance to see this baroque masterpiece much as it must have looked around 1740. The color scheme for the church is a combination of brilliant gold leaf with shades of reddish  brown, an autumnal mix of colors replicated in other parts of the abbey.

The high altar and cupola are situated so that natural light from the windows illuminates them. On the high altar are figures of the patron saints of the church, Saints Peter and Paul. The martyrs shake hands in farewell, apparently just before they are to die for their faith. To their left are Daniel, Jeremiah and David and to their right are Isaiah, Ezekiel and Gideon. Above Peter and Paul, angels hold a crown that martyrs are to receive. Above the crown, God the Father sits enthroned on the Earth.

The Cupola is 208 feet high

Johann Michael Rottmayr painted the inside of the central dome of the Melk Abbey. This particular painting was selected as the main motif of the Austrian Melk Abbey commemorative coin, minted on April 18, 2007. One side of the ten-euro coin is the façade of the abbey church, and the reverse side gives a view up into the central dome of the church, with its typical vision of heaven.

The Pulpit is entirely of gold.

Only the case remains of the great organ built in 1731 by the Viennese builder, Gottfried Sonnholz. In 1970 a new organ with 229 pipes built by Gregor Hradetsky of Krems was installed in the old case.

CATACOMB SAINTS

I have seen skeletal relics in a great many churches, but I never understood why they were there or how they got there--the display seemed more macabre than inspirational. I never heard the expression, “catacomb saints,” so learning about the origins of these relics was a revealing and welcome piece of information. 

In 1578, local vineyard workers in Rome discovered a catacomb full of skeletal remains, dating back to the first three centuries of Christianity. The Catholic church believed that the skeletons belonged to early Christian martyrs. The holy remains became sought-after treasures because Catholic churches had been plundered of sacred relics during the Protestant Reformation. Every Catholic church wanted a skeleton because each martyr’s skeleton represented rewards in the afterlife. Before it was introduced into the church,  the skeleton had to be outfitted in finery and jewels befitting its status. Skilled nuns made this preparation. The decorated holy skeletons were very popular because they were a bridge to the supernatural, and people believed that their patron skeleton protected them from harm. Thereafter, any miracle or happy event was attributed to the beneficence of the relic. 

St Michael’s altar and reliquary

The painting of Saint Michael the Archangel vanquishing Lucifer to hell is by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1723). Inside the glass sarcophagus is the so-called "catacomb saint," given to the monastery in 1722 by the Viennese nuncio, Cardinal Crivelli. The saint, who was not known by name, was given the name "Clemens".

Catacomb saints were often depicted in a reclining position, as demonstrated here by Saint Friedrich, who holds a laurel branch as a sign of victory.

Sepulcher of Saint Benedict 

This side altar is dedicated to Saint Benedict, whose rule the abbey follows. The cenotaph (empty sarcophagus) bears the inscription: Erit sepulchrum eius gloriosum (His grave will be glorious). 

The altar of Saint Coloman

A statue of Coloman kneels with a staff in his hand and an ampoule, (a canteen--an insignia of a pilgrim) hanging from his waist. He also has scallop shells on his cloak that were worn by pilgrims returning from Compostela in Spain (the tomb of Saint James, the end point of a well-known pilgrimage route.)

Saint Coloman of Stockerau was an Irish saint making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Holy Land when he was mistaken for a spy. At the time of his death, there were continual skirmishes among Austria, Moravia and Bohemia. Coloman spoke no German, so he could not give an understandable account of himself. He was tortured, then hanged alongside several robbers at Stockerau, near Vienna, Austria, on July 16, 1012. As was the norm, mutilated and rotting bodies were not buried, but displayed as a warning to anyone who might consider acting against authority. However, while the other victims rotted beneath the sun and were devoured by birds and beasts, Coloman’s corpse was ignored both by animals and the laws of science. A legend states that Coleman's body remained incorruptible for eighteen months--the immortality of the soul appeared to have migrated to the flesh. The scaffolding  itself is said to have taken root and to have blossomed with green branches, one of which is preserved under the high altar of the Franciscan church at Stockerau. Many miracles were wrought by his incorrupt body.

In the Catholic Church, the term ‘incorruptible’ has been applied to dead bodies that failed to decompose, and incorruptibility is among the qualities used to establish whether an individual deserves to receive sainthood. Two years after his slaying, a ceremonial funeral was held on the cliffs of Melk, and Coloman was made Austria’s first patron saint, becoming one of approximately 80 Catholic saints who have been deemed incorruptible. His remains are now contained in the sarcophagus on the altar. 

Boarding the ship to continue our cruise after visiting Melk Abbey. We will pass by Durnstein, Austria, and go on to Bratislava, Slovakia.