Lots to see in beautiful Salzburg for PGC: Nonnberg Abbey

The Benedictine monastery Nonnberg Abbey, located in Salzburg, Austria, is the oldest women’s religious house in the German-speaking world. Founded in 714 by Saint Rupert of Salzburg, the abbey was built with a generous endowment provided by Theodebert, Duke of Bavaria, and augmented by Emperor Henry II.

The abbey originally stood independent of the founding house but was rebuilt in the year 1000. Unfortunately, the building was largely destroyed in a fire in 1423; reconstruction spanned from 1464 to 1509. The church was enlarged with the addition of three side chapels in 1624. In the 1880s, the structure was completely refurbished in the Baroque style.

The abbey was recently selected as main motif for the Austrian Nonnberg Abbey commemorative coin minted in April of 2006. It was the first coin of the series “Great Abbeys of Austria.” It shows the Nonnberg Abbey convent with the castle of Hohensalzburg and the Kajetaner church perched atop a hill in the background.

The abbey acquired international fame through the life of Maria Augusta Kutschera, who later became Maria Augusta von Trapp, a teacher at the abbey following World War I, and whose story became the basis for the film The Sound of Music. 

Photo courtesy of the Nonnberg Abbey website.