StiftsKirche Nonnberg Convent Salzburg

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

High on a hill overlooking Salzburg, Austria, is a beautiful convent called StiftsKirche Nonnberg.


The archway looked inviting and my friend Sylvia and I walked past the courtyard filled with flowered grave sites to see if the church was open. It was. We entered through these elegant wood doors with metal accent hardware. A nun quietly glided by in front of us and Sylvia whispered to me after the woman left that this was the first time she had actually seen a nun here.


This next image shows the main altar of the church on the ground floor, as well as a detail shot of the beams on the ceiling. These geometric shapes are more involved that those ceilings I saw in Italy, perhaps because there is no artwork overhead. Or is that a “chicken and egg” question?


To the right of the main altar was an iron lace gate leading downstairs to another altar directly underneath the main one. I believe it was also a holding place for a saint’s relic or perhaps his tomb. I am not sure why I did not approach it closer to find out for sure. Perhaps because I was not alone. This space had an “Edgar Allan Poe” feel that I found intriguing. Hard to believe, but this dark space was even more quiet than the rest of the church. I relished the peace for a moment . . .


This next image I took as I walked back up the stair and looked towards the back of the church. Organ pipes were on a balcony overhead, but in the back . . . that dark space shows a bit of Austrian history. Some ancient paintings were discovered but to protect them from light, one had to pay a machine 50 cents to light the space for a short time. I was able to snap off a few images of these sacred wall paintings through the glass before Sylvia and I again stood in the darkness.



And finally, I wanted to show you some of the iron lace work in this beautiful gate that segregated another altar to the right side of the main one. The simple shapes, the soothing colors, and the touch of loving care in the patterned lace altarcloth that I suspect is handmade seemed the perfect setting for quiet contemplation.

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