Page 226 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - 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 Roman
R Stift St Peter church architecture north of the tympanum above the main
St Peter Bezirk 1/2. Tel (0662) 844576-0. Alps. The façade is decorated door shows the Virgin Mary
Open 8am–noon, 2:30–6:30pm. & with the vast sculpted figures 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. to accom modate 10,000 from Scheffau and
It is the only abbey in this part worship pers, more than reputedly produced to
of Europe that has survived the entire population of sketches by Albrecht
intact since then. The present Salzburg at the time. Dürer. Behind the main
church and monastery Its monu mental altar, in the central
complexes were built in the interior is still window of the apsis,
12th and 13th centuries, but impressive today. is an interesting
remodelled during the Baroque Stairs lead from the Fresco (1150) in Stift stained-glass panel
era, in the 17th and 18th transept to the crypt Nonnberg by Peter Hemmel
centuries. However, some of the where several prince- von Andlau, one of
old sculptures have survived, arch bishops have been laid to the most renowned stained-
including the early 15th- rest. Mozart himself played the glass artists in the late-Gothic
century Beautiful Madonna. Baroque organ here. Today, the style. Original 12th-century
The majority of Baroque altar great Mozarteum choir often Romanesque frescoes are
paintings are by Kremser holds concerts of his music in preserved in the niches. The
Schmidt. The abbey interior is the cathedral. The church’s adjacent chapel of St John has
an impres sive display of treasures are on show in the a Gothic altarpiece taken from
Baroque opulence. Cathedral Museum. the earlier cathedral; its creator
In the cemetery, Salzburg’s was visibly influenced by the
oldest, are the final resting R Stift Nonnberg school of Veit Stoss.
places of Mozart’s sister Nannerl Nonnberggasse 2. Tel (0662) 841607.
and of Johann Michael Haydn, Open Summer: 7am–7pm daily; Environs
brother of Joseph. winter: 7am–5pm. On top of Plainberg, a hill
The Benedictine nunnery north of Salzburg, stands the
P Dom on the slope of pilgrimage church of Maria
Cathedral: Domplatz 1a. Tel (0662) Mönchsberg, Plain, built by Giovanni Antonio
80477950. Cathedral Museum: now known as Dario and consecrated in 1674.
Tel (0662) 80471860. Open Oct–Nov: Nonnberg In 1779, Mozart composed the
8am–6pm Mon–Sat, 1–6pm Sun (Nuns’ Hill), Coronation Mass in celebration
(until 5pm Jan, Feb & Nov); May–Sep: of the miraculous picture of the
8am–7pm 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, a
site of the earlier one. The new local teacher and organist,
cathedral, consecrated in 1628, The pilgrimage church Maria Plain wrote the music, and Joseph
became a model of Baroque on Plainberg Mohr the words.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp297–8 and pp322–3

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