St. Florian Monastery

Sankt Florian, Austria

St. Florian Monastery is the largest monastery in Upper Austria, and one the most impressive examples of Baroque architecture in Austria. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Florian, whose fourth century grave lies beneath the monastery.

The monastery, named after Saint Florian, was founded in the Carolingian period. Since 1071 it has housed a community of Augustinian Canons, and is thus is one of the oldest operational monasteries in the world following the Rule of St. Augustine.

Between 1686 and 1708 the monastery complex was reconstructed in Baroque style by Carlo Antonio Carlone, whose masterpiece is St. Florian's. After his death, Jakob Prandtauer continued the work. The result is the biggest Baroque monastery in Upper Austria. Bartolomeo Altomonte created the frescoes.

Construction of the library wing began in 1744, under Johann Gotthard Hayberger. The library comprises about 130,000 items, including many manuscripts. The gallery contains numerous works of the 16th and 17th centuries, but also some late medieval works of the Danube School, particularly by Albrecht Altdorfer.

In 1827, Polish librarian Father Josef Chmel found one of the oldest Polish literary artifacts, an illuminated manuscript containing the Psalms in Latin, German and Polish in the monastery. Because of the site of discovery, it has been named the Sankt Florian Psalter, and now resides in the National Library of Poland.

In January 1941, the Gestapo seized the facility and expelled the monks. The canons returned after the end of the war.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1071
Category: Religious sites in Austria

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Lukas Huemer (2 years ago)
This monastery was very impressive. I loved learning about the history of the building and exploring the building. When I entered the church part of it, I was absolutely amazed at how detailed the interior was. There were incredible paintings on the ceiling and lots of technical woodwork put into building this along with all the golden items. There are also 3 different organs in the church part, which is quite impressive. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the history of Austria. They also do guided tours if you want to get an in-depth guide.
Charlotte Buchanan (2 years ago)
Beautiful place and the resteraunt was good too. Fun fact: it was occupied by the Nazis in WW2.
Andrew F (3 years ago)
This is the most inspiring Baroque Monastery I have visited - light and airy, and the attention to detail in the craftsmanship is truly amazing. A must to visit.
saurabh singh (3 years ago)
Really amazing church and had beautiful architecture. Summer time is beautiful here. Highly recommend.
Eduardo b (4 years ago)
Very impressive abbey
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.