멜크 수도원 (Melk Abbey)(6)

멜크 수도원(Melk Abbey)(6). 오스트리아(Austria)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abbot Berthold Dietmayr

(700-1739)

Unknown painter, post 1732.

 

Abbot Berthold Dietmayr, born in Scheibbs in  1670, is one of the monastery's most important abbots. He joined the Melk abbey in 1687, was ordained in 1696, and was elected abbot of the monastery in 1700.

Under Abbot Berthold the abbey buildings were redesigned & the church was rebuilt. The abbot was also highly respected by the court & the Lower Austrian estates, which can be seen, among other honors, in the fact that the title of privy coundilor to the emperor was conferred upon him in 1728.

Abbot Berthold Dietmayr's period in office is generally considered to be a high point in the abbey's existence.

 

Heaven on Earth

In the 17th century the Austrian Church was once again strong. only in this way was it able to thwart the great Turkish threat (siege of Vienna 1683). A very lively faith had brought strenth & was able to develop after having proved itself. The people of this time were happy to know the proximity of their God. Since they also knew about human suffering & had to endure it, they assailed God with their prayers: an almost physical piety sought God;s blessing & assistance & redemption for one's transpressions (brotherhoods of prayer, veneration of relics, pilgrimages). Man had something he could hold on to.

 

Monasteries had become important crystallization points of spiritual, cultural & church life: science & art flourished. An art form developed that on the one hand was very human: it showed joy in splendor, in large forms, in color, in everything that was simply beautiful & good. on the other hand this art wanted to glorify & be like that which was the living center of the lives of these men.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

 

 

In the name of Reason

A Baroque enjoyment of the pleasures of life led to the achievement of wonderful works & man clung to his God in the ups & downs of his personal life with a strong faith occasionally expressed in a very human way. At the same time, a new school of thought came into our country from the West. Rationalism & the Enlightenment began their triumphal march.

 

Deep, sometimes very physical piety (cult of relics) came to be considered suspicious by many thinking people. Popular piety became excessive, & in the monasteries exaggerated, irrational asceticism was often practiced. Some had joined the monasteries for the sole purpose of meeting their daily needs. The new movement was directed against all of this. It could already be clearly fell under Maria Theresia (1740-1780), & became dominant under her son Joseph II (1780-1790) in the movement which was named after him, Josephenism. This new intellectual movement may have ignored some human values, but it broght much light in to some of the darkness. Many positive values of this development brought great progress, but others impoverished important spheres.

 

Reason & faith, both together in & with each other, is a path our human existence can take.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

Leather Chasuble

Leather, painted & stamped.

A leather chasuble in black from the time of Emperor Joseph II, used fo funerals & memorial days for the dead.

 

According to Joseph II. these leather vestments were sturdier & would last longer than Baroque vestments made of silk or brocade. However, they required extensive care, & in the end proved to be more delicate than the Baroque liturgical vestments.

Leather Vestments.

Leather, painted & stamped.

Red leather vestments from the time of Emperor Joseph II. Leather was used forr simplicity & to save money.

 

 

DEN UNBERECHENBAREN TOD TAGLICH VOR AUGEN HABEN

(재활용 관)

 

 

 

 

The Whole Person

Once again one-sidedness, in this case the emphasis on human reason. was to start processes which were intended to separate something integral. There are so many aspects to human beings that are all important. Faithful inwardness gave way to a well organized devoutness, which, however, could not stand up to an increasingly atheistic & secularized world. These thoughts penetrated deeply into Austria's monasteries, which, contrary to German developments, had not all been dissolved. The number of monasteries was reduced, but many continued to exist.

 

In Austria's monasteries the 19th century was characterized by a deeply liberal position: monks had become "Sirs" of the monastery. New life was able to come into the monasteries only slowly & with great difficulty. It became clear that living faith fulfills the reason & heart of man, that institution must be supported by inwardness, that the whole human being is more important than individual aspects. This whole person in his ups & downs lives from faith, fulfills his duties, is culturally effective, & sees his economic & social relationships. He knows his limits, knows he has not yet achieved his goal, but perceives himself as on the way to this goal. He is open to his God.

 

in 11 steps, the nearly complete image of a human body appears gradually in this room. The 12th step, which is man in his entirely, is the visitor himself.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

 

The Path to the future

In the revelation of the Old & New Testaments it became clear that there is a God who is there, who lives, who is with man on his journey. Through Jesus Christ it became clear that this God is a merciful God, who guides man on his way, is near him in joy & sorrow, who always gives a new beginning. The church has spread this joyous message through the centuries.

There have been right & wrong ways, times of well-being & disaster. Yet again & again we realize: God is a God of life, a God who wants human well-being, who is with him on his way, who walks with him

 

Jorg Breu (1502) & Arnulf Rainer (1966): the Middle Ages & the present, today & tomorrow

 

In this way the Benedictine community in Melk has continued on its way for 900 years. In this way they move down the path that the Lord shows them. It is the path of faith, that searches for God in everyday life, & through which this community has sought to live for over 900 years

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure Chest

In cases of acute danger the most important treasures of the monastery were brought to safe places, for example in 1683 they were protected from the Turks in St. Peter in Salzburg Chests like this one were constructed for this purpose

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

To glorify God in Everything

In the chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict about the monastery's manual workers (RB 57). the following sentence can be read: Everythin in the monastery should happen in such a way that it is all for the glorification of God, even the worldly concerns.

 

On March 21, 1089 Benedictine life in prayer & work (ora et labora) began in Melk. The Babenbergers had established a monastery in the castle, the burial site of their ancestors, & given it an economic basis: Land & property, feudal rule.

 

In the ups & downs of history there have been high points in the monastery's economy, but there have also been stark declines. It is conspicuous that in times of active spiritual life the economy flourished, wheras in times of a decline in monastic life the economy stagnated as welll.

 

Initially the monastery lived from the proceeds of feudalism & only in a limited way from their own land. After the reforms ending feudalism in 1848 the economy had to be restructured: Interest from the buildings in Vienna & increased use of the monastery's own property provided the necessary means. In the last decades the proceeds from forestry & agriculture have steadily decreased. Now the monastery lives primarily form the income from tourism.

 

Proceeds from the work on the monastery's property are used to maintain the secondary school. but also to maintain the building itself, carry out necessary restoration work in the 23 parishes, & enable the fulfillment of other duties. Jobs are provided for many workers in the various areas.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

Motion is a sign of life

When I am in motion I see only one side, one aspect. Some things are unclear; I see only parts, not the whole.

 

When I am motion, on my way, I am continually reaching new shores, getting to know the world, other people, & myself. I always have a new goal.

 

Being on the move causes unrest, but this unrest enables me to move, lets my heart grow wide.

 

Being on the move has a great destination. As long as I am moving towards this destination I am looking in a mirror & see only a dim reflection. When I arrive at my destination I shall be seeing face to face. "Now I only perceive incompletely, but then I will realize through & through, as I will also be realized throught & through."(as per 1 Cor 12,12)

 

Although I do not perceive the whole truth when I am on the way, this very lack of perfection is a sign that I am still alive

My staying in motion brings God's spirit to me: The spirit is what bring life.

 - 안내문에서 -

 

 

 

 

Abbot Berthold Dietmayr

(1700-1739)

Probably Johann Kupetzky (1667-1740),

Post 1706.

Oil paint on canvas

 

Abbot Berthold Dietmayr is depicted here as the rector of Vienna University, a position he received in 1706. In the background to the left is a plan which shows the project to rebuild the old abbey church installing an oval dome, an idea which had already been rejected at the time. This indicates that the portrait probably used a depiction by Petrus Schubert von Ehrenberg as a reference. He had been commissioned to do such a work in 1701, when this alteration plan was still being considered.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

 

View of Melk Abbey from the East

Franz Rosenstingl. 1736.

Ink-Tempera, Paper

One of three (originally four) views of the new Baroque building. In this sketch the Baroque gardens & the differences between the north of the abbey & the current construction can be clearly seen. The original wall between Coloman's Hall & the Powder Tower which is shown here was replaced in the 19th century by an addition to the abbey school.

- 안내문에서 -

 

 

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