6. August

We got to sleep in early today! We were able to sleep in until 1, at which time we headed out for Klosterneuburg, monastery and site of Babenberg power in the early 12^th century. It was expected to rain today, but luckily we were spared until our tour at Klosterneuburg was finished. The myth of Klosterneuburg dates back to medieval times: Leopold and his wife Agnes had just been married, and at the conclusion of the ceremony a gust of wind picked up her veil and carried it out into the countryside. Nine years later on a hunting expedition, Leopold found the veil in a tree. As thanks he decided to build a monastery there. In 1485 Leopold was named a saint and later the Patron Saint of Austria. Until 1827, the monastery was the law of the surrounding area, with its own court and jail. It was renovated several times in the baroque era. The original plan was to create a large, Escorial-like palace in the Baroque style, but this was never fully realized for monetary reasons. The monastery’s baroque construction gives it solidity and stability. The floors are several feet thick, with a layer of dirt for even more stability. Students studying architecture come to this area to study the building style because it is such a prime example of Baroque architecture. There really is nothing like this construction style in the United States (to my knowledge). Perhaps the solid construction is the reason why so many buildings survive today.

Klosterneuburg is inhabited by Augustinian Canons, several of whom gave us a tour of the monastery and church. They were very hospitable and friendly and greeted us with glasses of champagne and mimosa. It was funny to see these religious figures on cell phones and talking about the cars they used to own. We got a private tour of the surroundings, monastery, and church all attached to Klosterneuburg. During this tour we were able to visit the Verdun Altar. This altar, made between 1170 and 1181 by Nicholas of Verdun, comprises 51 enamel scenes from the Bible. Several of its scenes have distinct Byzantine, Greek, and Roman influences.

After the tour we visited a Heuriger, and had a chance to talk with the Canons. Of the 48 Canons, 9 are from America, something I found interesting. They say that there is nothing like the life they live now in the States and prefer it to practicing in America. One, Dom Ambrose, is completely against socialization and downright hates Obama. According to him, socialism is the reason the Viennese are so rude in general (especially waiters) because they are all paid the same no matter what, and they don’t get a large enough tip to improve their service. Also, a certain percentage of the population needs to be employed at any given time, so many people are safe from being fired. We also covered other hot-button issues in our conversation like gay marriage, the war in Iraq, and the church’s role in the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Not surprisingly, Ambrose was very conservative on these issues. After several hours and a few pitchers of wine the canons called awful, we left.