Neuberg Abbey
Encyclopedia
Neuberg Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Neuberg an der Mürz
in Styria, Austria
, and is one of the few extant set of monastic buildings in Austria to have retained its medieval character to any great extent.
by the Habsburg Duke Otto the Merry
, who died here in 1339. It was suppressed in 1786 by Emperor Joseph II
. The partly ruined premises were converted use in 1850 as a hunting lodge for Emperor Franz Joseph I
. The buildings were later owned by the Austrian Forestry Department, until 2006.
began about 1330 and was not completed until the reign of Frederick III
, in 1496. The roof-timbers from the first half of the 15th century contain more than 1100 m³ of larch wood and constitute the largest and most important construction of this sort in the German-speaking world. The church interior is dominated by the Baroque
high altar, dating from 1612. The life-size sandstone statue of the "Neuberger Madonna" and several side-altars date from the Gothic period.
After the dissolution of the monastery, it became the parish church of Neuberg.
contain precious reliefs, which are among the most important specimens of 14th century sculpture in Austria.
Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz is a municipality in the district of Mürzzuschlag in Styria, Austria....
in Styria, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and is one of the few extant set of monastic buildings in Austria to have retained its medieval character to any great extent.
History
The abbey was founded in 1327 as a filial monastery of Stift HeiligenkreuzHeiligenkreuz Abbey
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...
by the Habsburg Duke Otto the Merry
Otto, Duke of Austria
Otto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol.Otto was born in Vienna. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome and Albert II...
, who died here in 1339. It was suppressed in 1786 by Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
. The partly ruined premises were converted use in 1850 as a hunting lodge for Emperor Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
. The buildings were later owned by the Austrian Forestry Department, until 2006.
Abbey church
Construction on the monumental High Gothic hall churchHall church
A hall church is a church with nave and side aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was first coined in the mid-19th century by the pioneering German art historian Wilhelm Lübke....
began about 1330 and was not completed until the reign of Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
, in 1496. The roof-timbers from the first half of the 15th century contain more than 1100 m³ of larch wood and constitute the largest and most important construction of this sort in the German-speaking world. The church interior is dominated by the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
high altar, dating from 1612. The life-size sandstone statue of the "Neuberger Madonna" and several side-altars date from the Gothic period.
After the dissolution of the monastery, it became the parish church of Neuberg.
Other architecture
The cloisters and the chapter houseChapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
contain precious reliefs, which are among the most important specimens of 14th century sculpture in Austria.