When we got to the monastery, I was amazed by how beautiful it was. It was the type of place that I had only seen in movies and post-cards before I had ever been outside of the country. I took a picture of me doing push-ups in front of the fountain, you know, for fun.
We started our day with a tour of the wine cellars, where real wine was still being made and stored. The winery of Klosterneurburg is not only the largest in Austria, it is also the oldest. The monastery’s wine production takes its roots (pun) many hundreds of years ago when the Catholic Church gave the order permission to grow wine in order to raise money for its existence. Although I am from the wine country in Sonoma Country and go to UC Davis, I knew very little about wine going into the tour. One thing I learned that was of particular interest was that having black mold on the side of the walls of the tunnels is a sign that the humidity levels are about right for the grapes. The most interesting thing to me, aside from hearing that mold was good, is that the people who built the tunnels could actually build in an early method of air conditioning in order to alter the conditions for the grapes. They did so by first by pioneering the idea of making double walls with about a foot in between to keep extreme temperatures from affecting the grapes. They also built vents that the cellar master could open and close. I never knew that there are so many factors that go into making good wine! I thought that it was a function of the soil and grapes, but even the environment in which it is stored plays a crucial role in the quality of the product.The tour guide went on to briefly mention something in passing that I wish she talked about more: she said that, although the winery is doing fairly well in Europe, it can’t compete abroad because of the lower prices of American produce. I wish that I had a chance to talk with her more about this, because one of the causes that I am interested and involved in is the abolition of American agricultural subsidies because it creates artificially low prices that other countries who can’t afford to subsidize their agriculture can’t compete with. I was a little angry to hear that our economic hegemony has affected the ability for this amazing and historic winery to function on a more global level. I wish that a larger portion of the American population knew about the plight of agriculture abroad, and perhaps anyone reading this blog who wants to learn more should visit www.kickaas.typepad.com for more information on how subsidized agriculture is undercutting the global market. That’s my soap-box for this blog.
After the wine tour, we grabbed a quick lunch at a café where I had one of the most delicious treats I have ever seen (pictured below).
We met back at the monastery and began our tour with the best tour guide I have ever had. We were led by Father Clemens, a practitioner of the Canons Regular order which has existed at Klosterneurburg for centuries. He is originally from New York, so being led by someone who not only spoke English but was familiar with our cultural background was a welcome change of pace from the heavy accents and stale tours that we had been on before. Besides, the guy is hilarious. He was making jokes and taking cell phone calls during the tour, which made him and the information that he was giving us much more accessible.
Klosterneurburg was founded by Leopold III of Babenberg, who was later canonized as the patron saint of Lower Austria. During the reign of the Habsburgs Charles VI altered the monastery with the intent of making his place of rule resemble the Escorial, which was the ruling location of the Spanish Habsburgs.
The Spanish Escorial was very indicative of the ruling paradigm at the time, which was the combination of church and state into one empire. The structure consists of four courtyards with the royal court at one end and a church at the other, thus fusing empire and God into one. This was the archetype for Klosterneurburg when construction was started, but Charles VI died before it was completed. Only the church had been finished. His daughter, Maria Theresia, was not interested in pursuing her father’s vision and focused her efforts elsewhere. Still, Klosterneurburg is a very impressive structure. Of all the many items and sights that Father Clemens showed us, there are two that I will never forget. The first was the Verdun Altar, one of the most impressive pieces of medieval art in the world. It is named after Nikolaus of Verdun, who stopped in the abbey as he was traveling and stayed for almost 10 years in order to finish the altar (it was completed in 1181). It consists of 51 panel made entirely of enamel arranged in three rows that depict scenes in the Old Testament that foreshadow events in the New Testament. My favorite was the panel that shows Jerusalem, the heavenly city, at the top, the Devourer (representing Hell) at the bottom, and Jesus in the middle as the path separating the two.
To me, the altar was the perfect combination of artistic beauty and philosophical expression. One cannot gaze upon its magnificence without also contemplating the message of the piece. To be honest, I don’t remember much of what was said about the altar because I was so captivated by it. I was the last one to leave the room that it’s housed in, and I am already making plans to go back and see it by myself.
The second sight that held my gaze and thought was the inside of the church itself. I am not exactly sure how to put this into words, but I suppose that I have to try. The building is very tall, with every inch of the interior covered by an ornate gold piece, art depicting heavenly scenes, and/or gorgeous granite.In the back is an organ more massive and taller than any other that I have seen. There is not a dull sight in the entire place. Again, this church is very indicative of the Catholic belief in meditation. A parishioner in this church is inspired to meditate on Christ and his sufferings so much that he/she can almost feel it. In this manner is one elevated further on the path to salvation, according to Catholic theology at the time. I learned that mass is still said here, which means that I have one more thing to add to my list of things to do!
After our extensive tour, we were all incredibly hungry. We made our way to a Heuriger (meaning this year’s), a wine-garden that serves the most recently produced wine and delicious food. We all piled in and sat at two different tables. Some of the people at my table ordered the blood sausage, while I tried an assortment of meats and pastes. Everything was very good and very filling, which is exactly what we all needed after our 3+ hour tour.
After Father Clemens joined us, we ordered the wine. The night only got better/more ridiculous from there. He knew the best wines that the garden offered and made sure that we were well looked after. His company was much appreciated. What was most astounding was that he invited many of us back! So, naturally, we all made promises to return and spend more time in the fabulous place. Some of us stayed at the table for nearly 6 hours by the time we decided to head home. We bid him farewell and concluded out amazing journey. I made it back and went to bed with a smile on my face. What a day.
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