The Catholic Pilgrim's Guide to Klosterneuburg, Austria

On June 12, 1114, Margrave Leopold III of Babenberg laid the cornerstone of a new church on the hills above the Danube, fulfilling a vow made at the spot where his bride Agnes's veil had been carried away by the wind on their wedding day and found years later, caught in an elderberry bush bathed in light. The veil, it was said, bore the image of the Virgin Mary. Leopold called himself Princeps Terræ—Prince of the Land—and though he declined candidacy for Holy Roman Emperor in 1125, he would become something greater: the patron saint of Austria. Today Klosterneuburg Abbey rises above the Danube just eleven kilometers from Vienna, its twin neo-Gothic spires visible for miles. The Augustinian Canons who settled here in 1133 have maintained continuous presence for nearly nine centuries, interrupted only by Nazi suppression from 1941 to 1945. Within these walls pilgrims find the tomb of Saint Leopold, the supreme masterpiece of medieval enamelwork known as the Verdun Altar, Austria's oldest winery, and a treasury containing the Austrian Archducal Coronet. The abbey manages twenty-eight parishes and operates scientific institutes, yet its heart remains what it has always been: a community of prayer.

📜 History & Spiritual Significance

Leopold III was born around 1073, the son of Margrave Leopold II. He married Agnes of Germany—daughter of Emperor Henry IV and widow of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia—in 1106, uniting his house with the imperial Salian dynasty. Their union produced eighteen children, including Otto of Freising, the chronicler who became provost of Klosterneuburg in 1126, and Henry II Jasomirgott, who would move the ducal residence to Vienna in 1156 as Austria's first Duke. The abbey church was dedicated to the Nativity of Mary and consecrated in 1136 after twenty-two years of construction. Its original Romanesque basilica form has survived nine centuries of modification. Leopold died on November 15, 1136, and was buried in the chapter house. Miracles at his tomb began almost immediately. Canonization came on January 6, 1485, when Pope Innocent VIII recognized Leopold's heroic virtue. In 1663, Emperor Leopold I declared his namesake the patron saint of Austria, replacing Saint Coloman. November 15 became a public holiday in Vienna and Lower Austria—a status it retains today. The abbey weathered the Ottoman siege of 1683, when its strategic position helped save Vienna. Baroque remodeling transformed the interior through successive campaigns: 1634–1645, 1680–1702, and most ambitiously from 1723 to 1730, when Emperor Charles VI envisioned an Austrian Escorial. The grandiose imperial project was never completed; its unfinished Sala terrena now serves as a visitor reception area. In 1879, Friedrich von Schmidt added the distinctive twin spires that define the abbey's silhouette.

☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Klosterneuburg

Stiftskirche

Abbey Church The abbey church has stood since 1136, its Romanesque bones clothed in Baroque splendor. The high altar draws the eye upward through gilded columns to a painting of the Assumption. Side chapels preserve medieval elements beneath later ornamentation. Here the Augustinian Canons gather for the Divine Office, their chant continuing a tradition older than the Gothic cathedrals of France. Address Stiftsplatz 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg GPS 48.307500, 16.326480 Map Google Maps Web stift-klosterneuburg.at

Leopoldskapelle und Verduner Altar

Leopold Chapel and Verdun Altar In 1181, the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun completed an ambo—a liturgical pulpit—commissioned by Prior Wernher. Forty-five gilded copper plates with champlevé enamel depicted biblical scenes in typological triads: each New Testament event flanked by Old Testament prefigurations. After a fire in 1330, the panels were reassembled as a winged altarpiece, six additional panels added to complete the triptych. The result stands as the supreme achievement of medieval enamelwork, a bridge between Romanesque and Gothic, Byzantine influence transmuted through Western hands. Beneath this altar lies Saint Leopold's tomb. His skull reliquary—fashioned in 1677 and embroidered in 1723, with the forehead left exposed for veneration—is displayed only on his feast day, November 15. The chapel was built in 1318 to house these treasures.

Schatzkammer

Treasury The treasury preserves eight centuries of devotion made material. The Austrian Archducal Coronet, crafted in the early 1600s for Maximilian III, leaves its case only for inaugurations. Agnes's bridal veil—the founding relic—rests here. Medieval ivory reliefs over a thousand years old share space with fifteen panel paintings by Rueland Frueauf from 1505 and four Passion paintings from the Verdun Altar's reverse, dated 1331. A genealogical tree traces the Babenberg dynasty. Vienna Workshops pieces from the early twentieth century demonstrate that the tradition of sacred craftsmanship did not die with the Middle Ages.

Stiftskeller

Abbey Wine Cellar Austria's oldest winery has operated continuously since the abbey's foundation—wine was served at the 1114 cornerstone ceremony. The cellars, redesigned in 2024 with atmospheric light installations, hold the legendary Tausendeimerfass (Thousand Bucket Barrel): built in 1704, it stands four meters high, stretches five meters long, and holds 56,589 liters. The canons introduced Laurent vines to Austria; from Klosterneuburg these grapes spread across the land. The winery now operates carbon-neutral.

Kreuzgang

Cloister The cloister connects the abbey's sacred and domestic spaces, its Gothic vaulting enclosing a garden of meditation. Romanesque foundations from the twelfth-century castle tower and a Gothic chapel survive beneath later construction. Here canons have walked for centuries between prayer and work, ora et labora made architectural.

🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations

Feast of Saint Leopold — November 15

The Leopoldifest draws pilgrims from across Austria to honor their patron saint. Pontifical Mass at 10:00 AM fills the abbey church; afterward, the Leopoldisegen blessing sends the faithful forth. The skull reliquary emerges from the treasury for public veneration from November 13 through 16, displayed before the Verdun Altar where pilgrims have knelt for seven hundred years. Outside the church, the Leopoldimarkt transforms Rathausplatz into a traditional fair with food stalls, rides, and market stands. The Leopoldiheuriger opens in the Babenbergerhalle, where pilgrims taste the abbey's wines.

Fasslrutschen — November 11–15

Since 1813, the Fasslrutschen has drawn crowds to the Binderstadl, the former cooperage built around 1500. Participants climb a ladder to the top of the Tausendeimerfass and slide down its curved surface, making a wish as they descend. The tradition was first documented in the Eipeldauer letters; it continues today with a small donation benefiting Concordia Sozialprojekte. Children and adults alike queue for their turn on the ancient barrel.

🛏️ Where to Stay

Hotel Schrannenhof ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Lovingly restored 15th-century townhouse just 160 meters from the abbey, with breakfast served in a medieval basement vault to the sound of Mozart. Bus and train stations at the door; Vienna center in 25 minutes. Website ∙ Reserve this hotel

🚗 Getting There

By Train: The S40 S-Bahn runs from Vienna's Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, Heiligenstadt (U4), or Spittelau (U4/U6) to Klosterneuburg-Kierling station. Trains depart every 30 minutes; the journey takes 13–15 minutes. By Bus: Bus 400 runs from Wien Heiligenstadt (U4) to Klosterneuburg Stiftsgarten, stopping near the abbey gardens. Departures every 15 minutes, journey time 14–17 minutes. By Car: From Vienna, follow the B14 north along the Danube. Parking is available at Garage P1, Rathausplatz (Babenbergerhalle), and P3 "Gastmeisterei." Note: Klosterneuburg lies outside Vienna's Zone A; ensure your ticket covers the journey.

📚 Further Reading

Books: Buschhausen, Helmut. Der Verduner Altar: Das Emailwerk des Nikolaus von Verdun im Stift Klosterneuburg — The authoritative monograph on the Verdun Altar with extensive color plates. (German) Online Resources: Verdun Altar — The abbey's own introduction to its greatest treasure. (Stift Klosterneuburg) Saint Leopold III — Biographical overview of Austria's patron saint. (Catholic Online)

🔗 Useful Links

Stift Klosterneuburg — Official abbey website with visitor information, opening hours, and tour bookings. Stadtmarketing Klosterneuburg — Town tourism office with event calendars and local information. Archdiocese of Vienna — Diocesan website for the ecclesiastical province.

🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations

Vienna (11 km) — St. Stephen's Cathedral rises above the imperial capital, with the Kapuzinergruft holding Habsburg tombs and countless churches spanning a millennium of faith. Heiligenkreuz (35 km) — The oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monastery in the world, founded by Leopold III in 1133. The monks' Gregorian chant recordings have topped international charts. Mariazell (130 km) — Austria's greatest Marian shrine, the Magna Mater Austriae, lies at the end of the historic Via Sacra that once began at Klosterneuburg.

🪶 Closing Reflection

"As a spiritual oasis, a monastery reminds today's world of the most important, and indeed, in the end, the only decisive thing: that there is an ultimate reason why life is worth living: God and his unfathomable love."

— Pope Benedict XVI, Address at Heiligenkreuz Abbey, September 9, 2007