Page 226 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

224  A USTRIA REGION B Y REGION

was founded in 714 by
St Rupert, who established his
niece, St Erentrude, as Mother
Superior. Her tomb lies in the
crypt of the church. Emperor
Henry II and his wife Kunegunde
had the convent and the church
extended in the 11th century.
A fire in 1423 destroyed most
of the buildings and, in the
15th cen tury, a new convent
was built on the same site,
with a church devoted to the
Sculptures decorating the façade of the Dom Assumption of the Virgin Mary
and to St Erentrude. The
R Stift St Peter church architecture north of the Romanesque tympanum above
St Peter Bezirk 1/2. Tel (0662) 844576-0. Alps. The façade is decorated the main door shows the Virgin
Open 8am–noon, 2:30–6:30pm. & with the vast sculpted figures Mary accompanied by John the
Salzburg’s Benedictine abbey of the cathedral’s patron Baptist and St Erentrude.
was founded in the 7th century saints, Rupert and Virgil, and A true jewel of
by St Rupert, who is said to have Saints Peter and Paul. The Nonnberg is its late-Gothic
resurrected the town after the cathedral was designed main altarpiece, brought
Great Migration of Nations. It is to accom modate 10,000 from Scheffau and
the only abbey in this part of worship pers, more than reputedly produced to
Europe that has survived intact the entire population of sketches by Albrecht
since then. The present church Salzburg at the time. Dürer. Behind the main
and monastery complexes were Its monu mental altar, in the central
built in the 12th and 13th interior is still window of the apsis,
centuries, but remodelled during impressive today. is an interesting
the Baroque era, in the 17th and Stairs lead from the Fresco (1150) in Stift stained-glass panel
18th centuries. However, some transept to the crypt, Nonnberg by Peter Hemmel
older sculptures have survived, where several prince- von Andlau, one of
including the early-15th- arch bishops have been laid to the most renowned stained-
century Beautiful Madonna. rest. Mozart himself played the glass artists in the late-Gothic
The majority of the Baroque Baroque organ here. Today, the style. Original 12th-century
altar paintings are by Kremser great Mozarteum choir often Romanesque frescoes are
Schmidt. The abbey interior is holds concerts of his music in preserved in the niches. The
an impres sive display of the cathedral. The church’s adjacent chapel of St John has
Baroque opulence. treasures are on show in the a Gothic altarpiece from the
In the cemetery, Salzburg’s Cathedral Museum. earlier cathedral; its creator was
oldest, are the final resting visibly influenced by the school
places of Mozart’s sister Nannerl R Stift Nonnberg of Veit Stoss.
and of Johann Michael Haydn, Nonnberggasse 2. Tel (0662) 841607.
brother of Joseph. Open Summer: 7am–7pm daily; Environs
winter: 7am–5pm. On top of Plainberg, a hill
P Dom The Benedictine nunnery north of Salzburg, stands the
Cathedral: Domplatz 1a. Tel (0662) on the slope of pilgrimage church of Maria
80477950. Cathedral Museum: Mönchsberg, Plain, built by Giovanni Antonio
Tel (0662) 80471860. Open Jan, Feb & also known as Dario and consecrated in 1674.
Nov: 8am–5pm Mon–Sat, 1–5pm Sun; Nonnberg In 1779, Mozart composed the
Mar, Apr, Oct, Dec: 8am–6pm Mon– (Nuns’ Hill), Coronation Mass in celebration
Sat, 1–6pm Sun; May–Sep: 8am–7pm of the miraculous picture of the
Mon–Sat, 1–7pm Sun. & Madonna and Child. The interior
The first cathedral church in was designed by famous
Salzburg, the Dom was built Austrian Baroque artists,
in the 8th century. Following including Kremser Schmidt and
several remodellings and a fire Thomas and Franz Schwanthaler.
in 1598, the archbishops set out Further north, in the village
to build an almost entirely new of Oberndorf, the carol Silent
church, designed by the Italian Night was first performed in
architect Santino Solari, on the 1818. Franz Xaver Gruber (see
site of the earlier one. The new p228), a local teacher and
cathedral, consecrated in 1628, The pilgrimage church Maria Plain organist, wrote the music, and
became a model of Baroque on Plainberg Joseph Mohr the words.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp297–8 and pp322–3

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