Melk, Cloister

Melk, Cloister
   Situated in Lower Austria above the Danube River, the Benedictine cloister of Melk is one of Austria’s most imposing structures. The town of the same name at the foot of the complex was the seat of the Babenberg margraves of Austria after 976. In 1089, a Benedictine monastery was installed in a renovated canonry monastery.
   The cloister buildings have undergone several important architectural renewals throughout the centuries. In the 14th century, the complex doubled as a fortress, the remains of which are still to be seen. The present appearance of Melk dates from 1702–1736, when its central building was expanded into a monastery palace by the renowned Tyrolean architectural exponent of the Baroque style, Jakob Prandtauer. Stretching 362 meters along a promontory above the Danube and studded with 1,188 windows, it is the embodiment of triumphant Catholicism. The interiors of the monastery church and library contain works by important contemporary masters as well. The library ceiling (1731–1732) is especially notable. St. Koloman, a wandering Irish monk in the 11th century wrongly suspected of being a Hungarian and killed in the neighborhood, is buried at the monastery, as are the early Babenbergs.

Historical dictionary of Austria. . 2014.

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