Melk, Austria in 2010 – the Benedictine Abbey – Part 2, the Abbey Church

In 2010 I took a 15-day cruise of European rivers, and one stop on the Danube River was Melk, Austria. On a hill above the town is a large Benedictine Abbey, and a tour of that facility was part of our stop. The Abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. In the fifteenth century the abbey became the center of the Melk Reform movement which reinvigorated the monastic life of Austria and Southern Germany. Today's Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 to designs by Jakob Prandtauer. Particularly noteworthy are the abbey church with frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and the library with countless medieval manuscripts. Over the centuries it has been the victim of several fires, and it underwent significant restoration between 1978 and 1995. The Abbey is a World Heritage Site and receives many visitors each year.

There are too many pictures for a single set. This set is of the Abbey Church; Part 1 is of the Abbey other than the church.


DSC_4862 by David Casteel, on Flickr (long view toward the Altar)


DSC_4866 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Chancel and Altar)


DSC_4880 by David Casteel, on Flickr (detail of the Altar)


DSC_4863 by David Casteel, on Flickr (one of the Nave walls)


DSC_4865 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the Pulpit)


DSC_4868 by David Casteel, on Flickr (one of the side Altars)


DSC_4875 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the dome)


DSC_4877 by David Casteel, on Flickr (the ceiling)


DSC_4878 by David Casteel, on Flickr (looking up at the Organ)


DSC_4872 by David Casteel, on Flickr (full view of the Organ)

Link to Part 1: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-674692-1.html#11759252