Melk Abbey, Austria

Sunday, June 25th, 2023- Melk, Austria

       We were up at 7 A.M and joined the Broyles for an early breakfast in the main dining room. Most of the ship’s compliment was scheduled for a 9 A.M tour of the world famous “Melk Abbey,” nearby.

          The town of Melk sits at the confluence of the Melk and Danube Rivers, at the base of the lush Wachau Valley. The verdant hills and fields produce a bountiful supply of wine from the many vineyards. It is a major product of the area’s agriculture and economy. The Benedictine Abbey at Melk is over nine hundred years old. It sits high on a hill side, over-looking the town. The Abbey complex consist of several courtyards, with  light yellow, sand-stone walls on the façade of buildings. At one time. The Abbey had been a major congregation of the Benedictine religious order. The upper  and imposing battlements of the complex sit several hundred feet above the town. The Benedictines, like the Jesuits, had been major players in the byzantine orchestration of European politics during the middle ages. We had been fortunate to visit the original Benedictine Abbey in Monte Casino, Italy. It is equally as imposing.

          The Tir had tied up to a floating pier, on a steep embankment of the Danube. Perhaps these reinforced shores were a local flood control project, to hold back the river when it rises. The entire scrum of ship’s passengers hiked for ten minutes, up a steep pathway, to the bus parking area nearby. A short bus ride brought us to the Abbey’s parking area, above the actual Abbey. We walked down two flights of stone stairways. The “imperial steps”  to the Abbey Complex.

          The initial forecourt holds a small café, tourist offices, A WC and other administrative functions. Walking through the second archway brought us into the main, pebble-lined courtyard. The Abbey complex was built around seven of these courtyards, scattered throughout the complex. It had been constructed in 1297 and then rebuilt after a ruinous fire. Symbolically, the Abbey featured 365 windows to represent their study and devotion for the entire year. The Benedictine Order held as its mantra, “listen, learn and work.” Though religious in nature, the complex had also served as a meeting ground for the royals of the empire. The Abbey once held over sixty guest rooms, set aside for visiting royals and their entourages. Although there are still a small compliment of Benedictines in residence, most of the Abbey had been renovated  by the Austrian Government and turned into a public museum, featuring various elements and practices on the middle ages.

          Entering the museum, we passed through the first display area. A large gilded statue, of the 6^th century St. Benedict, looked over us, He was reportedly poisoned by rivals later in his life. A very small book in a glass case, was an example of an item that all of the monks carried with them while travelling. It enabled them to read the scriptures when they had time. The room was darkened. The highly-gilded, wooden statues were accompanied by a notation of the church’s philosophy at the time. It was more important to “look wealthy” than to “be wealthy.” The concept of “Illusion” was important to the order.  It was a curious idea. The museum gave no further explanation of the provenance of notion.

          Another room featured a “treasure chest” that enabled the monks to gather their valuables and skedaddle when raiders came their way. A more curious exhibit was the “reusable coffin.” The wooden coffin had a trap door in its bottom. After the requiem service, the decedent was released into his earthly grave and the coffin was ready for reuse. Though economical, the concept had never caught on.

        A lavish formal dining room had served the visiting dignitaries, both religious and civil. I think more than a few plots must been hatched around the meals at this table. There were glass cases that held finely threaded monk’s ceremonial robes of the era, further expanding the notion of “look wealthy, rather than be wealthy.” The ceiling frescoes in the dining room were grandiose and reflected religious themes.

      One of the major attractions of the Abbey is its two-room library complex. The rooms hold over 15,000 books and manuscripts, scripted  in Greek, Latin, and German. These finely detailed books serve as  the “wisdom of the ages,” for the monks. They collection had been lovingly assembled, much like that of  the Library at Alexandria, Egypt must have been, before its destruction by vandals. Here too, the monks were afraid of damage by fire. In the library rooms, there were no candles allowed. Instead, a series of doors, cleverly inlaid and hidden along the walls, opened up into small reading and working areas, each in front of one of the 365 windows. It allowed the monks enough illumination to read and write. The leather-bound books now receive a  temperature and humidity controlled environment, to prevent more damage from their long life.

       From the Library, we walked out onto the upper battlements. The open gallery here looks far out across the town and the Wachau Valley. The drop to the land below was several hundred feet. It was enough to get my attention and spark my quick departure. Lastly, like all museums, we entered into the spacious gift store. It features religious items of all types.

     It was 76 degrees out (F) and sunny, as we emerged from the museum/abbey. We found an elevator near the grand stair case. It lifted us up towards the bus parking area. We caught an early bus back to the Tir. It had been an interesting and educational visit to a historic treasure. I would love to hear some of the back stories, from knowledgeable historians, of the intrigues and events that had taken place here at the Melk Abbey. But then, that is what travel is all about. You get introduced to new ideas and new situations and learn from them.

    Back aboard the Tir, we were in time  for lunch, something we had skipped for several days, to help stem the caloric tide. Black bean soup and pasta with salmon were very good. After lunch, we sat topside, read our books  and enjoyed the beauty of the Danube Valley, as the Tir cruised south along this magical highway. The Austrian countryside is lush and verdant, a palliative for the eyes. In the world around our travel bubble, a minor military revolt had occurred in Russia. The ruckus put in perspective all of the medieval machinations that had occurred over the centuries in the area round us. The Hapsburgs, Hohenzollerns, Bourbons, Tudors, Romanovs and a coterie of other Royal Houses, were always maneuvering, and often fighting, for the acquisition of more  lands, more wealth and power. Many had this way come and left their mark.

        It was a lazy afternoon that allowed for a brief conference with Mr. Nelson. (patron saint of naps) Later, we cleaned up for dinner and joined the Broyles and the Pinazza’s for dinner at 7 P.M. Butternut squash soup, potato encrusted shrimp, with Tartufo for  dessert, were washed down with a very tasty German Cabernet. After dinner, in the lounge above, we enjoyed a presentation by two Austrian folk dancers and sampled a glass or two more of the cabernet. It had been a good first day in Austria. We were glad we had this way come.

                                                                                      -30-

                                                                             (1,241 words)

                                                                         Joseph Xavier Martin