Art and monasticism in the cradle of Austria

“Seitenstetten Abbey is the jewel of the Mostviertel region. Its works of art and its spirituality are not an end in themselves. In addition to the spiritual mediation to the creator, which is also evident at the pilgrimage site on Sonntagberg, which is looked after by the monks, it has always played an outstanding role in the economy, culture and art of the region,” said exhibition director Karl Brunner, explaining his concept.

This provincial exhibition was based on three principles:

Firstly, many exhibitions took place in monasteries, but little was learned about monasteries in the process. In Seitenstetten, an open convent sought contact with the guests, the building clearly revealed its functions and the art emphasized them through the decoration of the rooms.

Secondly, valuable works of art accumulated in the monastery over the centuries. Restored in an exemplary manner, they were presented to visitors, while at the same time explaining their function and message.

Thirdly, the mission and impact of the monastery is reflected externally. Since the Middle Ages, the Benedictines from Seitenstetten have looked after numerous parishes. As a patron and buyer, the monastery is an important economic factor, and the pilgrimage to Sonntagberg also builds a bridge to popular religiosity.

Seitenstetten Abbey, often referred to as “God's square”, was restored at a cost of more than 30 million schillings (approx. 2.18 million euros) in the years leading up to the exhibition. Founded in 1112, the monastery was not only the setting for the provincial exhibition, but also the subject itself: its effectiveness as a spiritual and cultural center in the “cradle of Austria”, where the name “Ostarrichi” first appeared in 996 in nearby Neuhofen an der Ybbs, the inner continuity of a monastery through the ages and the famous art collections.

The exhibition included paintings by Paul Troger and Kremser Schmidt as well as precious chalices, monstrances, sacred vestments and rare musical instruments from the monastery's collection.

The provincial exhibition was also intended to amaze interested visitors: “Who knew that Schubertiades were regularly held at Seitenstetten Abbey? Who knew that the Trinity Column on the Vienna Graben dates back to the Trinity Brotherhood of Sonntagberg?”. Curator Karl Brunner was convinced that even a large-scale provincial exhibition would not exhaust the treasures of Seitenstetten Abbey.

For Abbot Berthold Heigl, the motto of this regional exhibition was “Come and see!”: “From seeing and hearing, from coming and following, from invitation and encounter, faith grows, community develops, church becomes church.”

In the “Meierhof”, the abbey's farm building, which has also been renovated, the regional exhibition “Der Most und sein Viertel” (Cider and its district) provided an overview of the region's economy, the people and the production of this traditional drink.

Seitenstetten Abbey