Klosterneuberg Day Trip (more baubles but not quite as many bones)
Yesterday we took the bus up to Klosterneuberg, a nice little town on the outskirts of Vienna, and the home of an abbey dating from 1108 AD. It has a colorful history which I won’t repeat here, but you can read more about it on this page if you are interested.
We saw yet another treasury, and I must say, Austria continues to amaze in the area of quality bling. And, if this is what is on display, can you imagine what is stashed in various museum store rooms all over the country?
I am trying a new way of sharing my photos here, and discovered in the process that Picasa and WordPress do not play very well together. I am not entirely happy with the way this turned out, but anyway, click the photos to see larger versions.
The first building I’ve seen with a crown on top.
Pretty Gothic abbey church with an interesting tile roof.
This church is very large…
Inside the church.
Surprise! Another Baroque interior!
Really big organ.
St. Leopold, co-founder of the abbey.
Playing with my new camera’s zoom capability. Cherub way up on ceiling of the church.
Ceiling medallion.
Ahnuld?
Lovely garden inside the cloister.
Roman tombstones from the cemetery which preceded the abbey. These had been used to build a water tower, and were only discovered in 1976 when they were renovating it.
Another tombstone.
And another.
The chapter house with an interesting sundial.
Medieval altarpiece. Note the cheerful little angels collecting blood.
Another scene from the altar.
Jesus and his disciples. These are really neat, but I couldn’t help thinking that this looks like a rock band on an album cover.
Agnes, co-founder of the abbey, and mother of TWENTY-EIGHT children.
The next few shots are from the Treasury. Cool old book. A lot heavier than a Kindle, though.
Surprise! Creepy Catholic stuff!
Amazing needlework. Just amazing.
Some priest wear. Pink. Not that there’s anything wrong with that..
Absolutely incredible carving of Judgement Day made from an elephant’s tusk. This whole thing is only about a foot high!
Another incredible (and teeny) ivory carving. These are both from a Sicilian workshop in the 17th century.
More insanely complicated needlework.
A nativity scene from the same workshop. It is made of coral. This was one of my favorite pieces–I wish the photo had turned out better.
A “monstrance.” I have never understood exactly what these are for, but they are everywhere in Austria and the Czech Republic.
An ivory reliquary containing someone’s veil. Much nicer than a tooth or whatever, in my opinion.
These are called “Ursula skulls.” They are supposed to be the skulls of 11 virgins who followed St. Ursula into something nasty–I forget what.
On the way out of town.
Strawberry sundae before getting on the bus. It was at least as good as it looks!
If you were participating in Holy Adoration, you’d much rather focus on a monstrance than a host….And I suppose there’s the thought of creating a suitable receptacle for the Body of Christ….It’s a very nice form of worship/prayer/meditation.
Well, That Was Different 
If you were participating in Holy Adoration, you’d much rather focus on a monstrance than a host….And I suppose there’s the thought of creating a suitable receptacle for the Body of Christ….It’s a very nice form of worship/prayer/meditation.
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