“The Imperial Apartments: the highlight of baroque joie de vivre and life style”
Sixteen large and small rooms – uniquely magnificent and lovingly furnished for the visit of the Emperor and Empress – occupy the entire second floor of the west wing. The tour will take you into the world of
Charles VI and his daughter, the famous Maria Theresa, and will offer you a vivid picture of the interior decor of that time; the rooms are still furnished as they were 250 years ago.
Duration approx. 30 minutes
Price per person: €5,50
Guided tours available all year round for groups of 10 or more
“The Abbey Galleries: Gothic and Baroque Galleries"
by guided tour only!
Duration approx. 1 hour
Price per person: €10,50
Guided tours available all year round for groups of 10 or more
NOTE: Tours only by prior arrangement by telephone (0043 7224 8902-0)
Baroque Gallery
In 1773, provost Matthäus Gogl had the painter Leopold von Montagna rearrange the collection of paintings. The Baroque Gallery, as it was later called, dates back to him. The paintings by Baroque
artists from Austria, Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands were hung according to their decorative qualities. Apart from minor changes, the three rooms that make up the Baroque Gallery have been preserved in their original state to the present day.
Gothic Gallery
The Gothic Gallery consists of a collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. Its centrepiece are the 14 works by Albrecht Altdorfer from Regensburg. They come from a winged altar in honour of St. Sebastian commissioned by the provost Peter Maurer in 1518 for the Gothic church of St. Florian. Four panels depict the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, while eight other images show scenes of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. These pictures are regarded as the highlight of the art movement known as the “Danube School”. The pictures missing from the altar (currently in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) are represented by two large transparencies of the panels, which restore the overall impression of the altar for the viewer.
“Hans Fronius Religious Collection” at St. Florian Monastery
For several years now, the abbey has been able to boast about its considerable collection of works by the world-famous Austrian painter, illustrator and graphic artist HANS FRONIUS (1903–1988). Throughout his life, the artist has dealt with existential themes and questions. The writings of Dostoevsky, Büchner, Poe, Balzac and especially Kafka have inspired his contemplative interpretations, but his landscapes also
bear the hallmarks of existential depth and anguish. But it was the pertinent texts of the bible in particular that prompted this artist, who was so interested in the fate of man, to keep returning to his examination of these themes: entanglements of guilt (as with Saul, David and Peter) call conscience to the fore; the striking figures of suffering, in particular Job and Jesus, raise questions of existence and God; Fronius does not offer a bold and simple (Christian) answer by any means; on the contrary, he consistently presents
images of sorrow and anguish. In front of such images, sensitive contemporaries can meditate on their own restlessness and fragility. In 1993, thanks to generous donations from the artist's widow, two dozen oil paintings (as well as drawings and prints, including woodcuts, lithographs and etchings) were added to the monastery’s collection; these works can be viewed on request.
