Description of the attraction
Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery located in the southern part of the Vienna Woods, 13 km northwest of Baden. The abbey has existed without interruption since its founding in 1133 and is thus the second oldest continuously functioning Cistercian monastery in the world.
The monastery was founded in 1133 by Count Leopold III at the request of his son Otto. The date of the consecration of the monastery is September 11, 1133; the monastery received its name in honor of the Holy Cross. In 1188, Duke Leopold V presented the monastery with a significant gift - the Cross with fragments of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, received six years earlier from King Baldwin IV. This fragment, considered the largest in Europe, is kept in the monastery today.
Famous in Austria, the Babenberg family took an active part in the creation of subsidiary monasteries throughout the country, as well as in the Czech Republic and Hungary. The following Cistercian monasteries were founded with the patronage of Heiligenkreuz: Neuberg (Styria), Goldenkron (Czech Republic), Chikador (Hungary), Zwetl (Lower Austria) and others.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the monastery was often threatened by various epidemics, fires and floods. It suffered greatly during the Turkish wars of 1529 and 1683. He managed to avoid dissolution during the reign of Emperor Joseph II.
Heiligenkreuz is a working monastery, currently home to about 70 novices. Tourists can visit the monastery only at certain times.
