August 8th 2012
Today our class left Vienna for a field trip to the Augustinian Monastery of Klosteneuburg to learn more about Austria's ruling families, and to observe the amazing relics and treasures on display at the Monastery. Klosteneuburg is a very historically important site because it served as both the royal places of Austria's two royal families, the Babenburgs and the Hapsburgs. Klosteneuruburg was founded by Austria's patron saint, and Babenburg Margrave Leopold the Third (or St. Leopold) after he witnessed a miracle. During a hunting trip, Leopold found his wife's missing wedding veil hanging to a tree in a pristine condition after it had been missing for seven years. Convinced that the veil's miraculous preservation was a sign from God, Leopold built the foundation of Klosteneuburg over the very spot where he found his wife's veil. Leopold helped to develop and order of Cannons, and after a while moved his place of residence to Klosterneuburg, where the Babenburgs remained until the end of their reign. When the Hapsburg dynasty came to power, they ruled from Klosteneuburg, and even began renovating the monastery in a Baroque style. Charles the 6th began construction of a secular role place at Klosteneuburg, however it was never finished, as his daughter Maria Theresa stopped construction on the place when she came to power, deciding that she would rather have her place in Vienna.
When our class arrived at Klosteneuburg, much of the history of the monastery was easy to infer from the rich and varied architecture of monastery's buildings. A magnificent baroque facade was the first thing we could see as we entered the church, but as we continued with our tour, it became apparent that the building shifted and changed with the times. We first saw the Romanesque foundations of the church, revealing that it was build in the 10th century. As we moved forward, we saw Gothic windows and archways in the church's halls and interior, where some of the finest medieval art I'd ever seen was on display. However the artwork was nothing compared to the Verdun alter piece, which is a masterpiece of enamel work completed in the 12th century by Nicolas of Verdun. Further adding to the splendor of the scene were the relics of St. Leopold, which rested directly above Nicolas's work. Klosteneuburg simply continued to increase in grandeur as our tour group left the Gothic portion of the Church and continued to the Baroque chapel build by the Hapsburg dynasty. Upon entering the chapel, one's attention is dominated by towering marble columns adorned with handsome dark woodwork and shimmering gold leaf decorating the walls. These awe inspiring structures serve to bring one's attention upward to the ceiling, which is completely covered with a magnificent Baroque fresco displaying otherworldly visions of Angles, Saints, and the holy trinity. The Baroque opulence continued into the imperial place, which was build seeming as a monument to Charles the six, as it was adorned is throne, portrait, and personal motto. Lastly we saw the treasury, which contained the relics of saint Ursula, along with other priceless treasures.
As my description of Klosterneuburg demonstrates, the monastery and seat of imperial rule is exceedingly grand, as it bears treasures and renovations from nearly every period of Austrian history up until the end of the Baroque era, meaning that many different Austrian rulers, from two different dynasties, saw the monastery as an important enough to invest massive amounts of money into Klosteneuburg. This most likely stems from the fact that Klosteneuburg provided a means for Autria's rules to use the church as a claim for legitimacy. In the case of Austria, the Holy Roman Emperor was elected and then instated by the Pope to rule, so without the Catholic Church, the emperor had no authority to rule (at least fore a long portion of Austria's history). It was thus a good public relations move to adopt a position of extreme pity and virtue. This explains why relics formed such an important part of Klosteneuburg's treasury and display. The remains of saints provide a direct link from the ruler to the divine source of his authority. In the case of the Babenburg line, they literally could claim they build the seat of their rule at God's command, and the Hapsburgs could claim to be ruling from the seat of Austria's patron saint.
In the case of the Baroque period, the lavish additions to the Church communicated the power of Charles the 6th and other Hapsburg monarchs. The protestant reformation was serious challenge to the Habsburg's authority as the needed the Catholic church's approval for their rule to mean anything, so the Baroque architectural grandeur provided a very potent form of visual persuasion to Catholic church's spiritual authority, as well as serving as symbols of the Hapsburg's wealth and power. The various relics of Klosteneuburg still retain their importance in the Baroque period, as they serve as physical prove of the existence of saints, and by extension, evidence that the new protestant faith is false.
The Catholic Church is very important to Austria's ruling families before the 19th century, however the Holy Roman Emperor is not mixed into the Church, it is a secular office despite the acts of piety from both the Babenburgs and Habsburgs. However Klosteneuburg serves as an important connection between church and state. The Emperor's support the church with protection and money, and the church provides support for the emperor by means of establishing legitimacy, and by convincing people of the Emperor's power through pomp and circumstance.
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