Heiligenkreuz

   Located south of Vienna, this Cistercian monastery, founded in 1133 by the Babenberg Margrave Leopold III, is the second oldest establishment of the order in Austria. It takes its name from an alleged piece of the true cross, which the deeply pious margrave, today the patron saint of the province of Lower Austria, presented to the house. During the Middle Ages, it was one of the major centers for the compiling of written chronicles. Heiligenkreuz served as the mother house for several other Cistercian foundations in Lower Austria: Zwettl (1138), Baumgartenberg (1142), Marienberg (1197), and Lilienfeld (1202). The entire complex is a good example of the major architectural and decorative styles that have shaped the buildings and interiors of Austria throughout its history. Its core has both Romanesque and Gothic elements; the monastery church, consecrated in 1187, is a Romanesque basilica with a Gothic nave and choir. The facade was renovated in the neo-Gothic fashion of the 19th century. The wellhouse on the grounds has stained glass windows installed around 1290. The Baroque altar painting dates from the first half of the 18th century. The guest quarters are also Baroque and date from the second half of the 17th century.

   See also Catholicism; Religion.