Aug 7 - Day 7 in Vienna

I love being able to say I spent a day at an abbey. It’s something that is so European and such a historical experience – certainly one that you can’t duplicate elsewhere. Melk Abbey, where we spent the day, is a monastery that has been operating nonstop since 1089, and prior to that, served as a Babenberg castle. This abbey is a survivor – even lasting through such traumas as the massive closing of hundreds of monasteries by Joseph II.

We took a morning train to Melk from the Westbahnhof and enjoyed the scenery for the ride. Austria is a gorgeous country, with its rolling green hills and mountains, as well as its beautiful cities and towns, like Melk. Upon arrival in Melk, we began the walk up to the Benedictine monastery.

After a quick lunch, we started our tour with the guide, Hubert. He was quite adorable and had funny jokes, as well as an impressive knowledge of every single detail of the monastery – dates and all. He shared the sad information that in 1297, a catastrophic fire destroyed the abbey and a large portion of its books. After being built in the Gothic style, the abbey was then converted to a Baroque structure.

Benedictine monks live by the code of “ora et labora et lege” – “pray and work and read.” Their major text – the Rule of St. Benedict – was the second most copied book of the Middle Ages, after the Bible of course. Currently the monastery caters to tourists and runs a school.

Interestingly, the courtyard features some modern art amongst all the baroque architecture, which provided a nice contrast. The abbey itself is a work of art, which stuns with its yellow elements.

The abbey museum, and Hubert, had lots of great information. One particular interesting work in the museum depicted the story of St. Benedict and the Cup of Poison. Apparently, Benedict was so strict that some of his followers became so irate with him that they poisoned a cup he was to drink out of. Of course, by the power of Christ, when he held the cup in his hand it broke and he did not drink and die. The abbey had other great artifacts, such as saints’ relics, including what they claim is a portion of the true cross. The abbey church also has full body saints, which they have somewhat hilarious posed and dressed up.

Just for a bit of fun information, the abbey’s saint is St. Coloman who Hubert let us know is the patron saint of headache, tired feet, and woman who want to marry. Wow.

Hubert also let us know that a few buildings in the distance (see picture) were once a labor camp during the Holocaust. The juxtaposition of a holy and serene place like the monastery with that – in such a close radius in the very same town – was shocking.

After a bunch of photo ops, we headed out into the town for a nice break before returning to the monastery to hang out in the gardens. The garden is absolutely gigantic, featuring roses, trees and fruit everywhere. After walking through it, a few of us found a nice place to sit and enjoy the summer day.

We had a great group dinner at the Stiftsrestaurant Melk, which is located directly next to the abbey. We sat outside and ate a three course meal with three accompanying local wines. I loved the Grüner Veltliner. It was a relaxing and absolutely delicious end to a great day trip.