Melk Benedictine Abbey

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Danube valley. Between the two towers of the church stands a monumental statue of Christ. In front of the church is the Kolomanihof (St Koloman's Court).

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interior is outstanding for its architecture, statues and paintings and red and gold colorings. A unique effect has been achieved by positioning the high altar and cupola where the light from the windows can shine on them. The ceiling paintings in the nave, by the Salzburg master Michael Rottmayr (1722), depict the Glorification of St Benedict; according to legend, two monks watched him ascending into Heaven. The side altars are designed as chapels, each referring to the life of a saint, e.g. John the Baptist and St Sebastian. Of particular note are the choir stalls, the confessional chair, the organ, the artistically carved pulpit and the high altar with figures of the patron saints of the church, St Peter and Paul (18th C. by Peter Widerin). Paintings on the vaulted ceiling portray the Holy Trinity surrounded by saints. In 1976 a modern altar was erected incorporating parts from the old Baroque furnishings.

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east facade of the abbey. This is surmounted by a replica of the Melk Crucifix (Melker Kreuz), a precious object kept in the abbey treasure chamber; the abbey coat of arms can be seen below a balcony over the rounded gateway. On small pedestals stand statues of St Peter and Paul, the abbey's patron saints. From the forecourt we pass through a hall (Hall of St Benedict) to the Prälatenhof (Prelates' Court), trapeziform in plan with a 17th C. fountain in the center.

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leads to the prelature, the Imperial Rooms (Kaiserzimmer) and to the 196m/643ft long Imperial Corridor (Kaisergang) running alongside them. In the Imperial Corridor hang portraits of Austria's rulers, including one of the Empress Maria Theresa; the Imperial Rooms are now museums, displaying documents relating to the abbey's history, statues and paintings.

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chamber orchestras, organ groups and jazz bands. A focus, however, is put on Austrian Baroque composers and their contemporaries throughout Europe. An art exhibition is also organized to coincide with the concerts.

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shelves of the Library contain some 90,000 volumes, 2,000 manuscripts and 850 incunabula.

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of Austria, whose wise and moderate ways (Pallas Athene) triumph over brute force (Hercules). Only the door frames and pediments are of genuine marble, the walls being of marble stucco. The Hall is two stories in height, with windows on three sides, and is divided by pilasters with capitals.