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Founded in 696 by St. Rupert, whose tomb is also here, this is the church of St. Peter's Abbey and Benedictine Monastery. The Stift St. Peter was the first establishment of Salzburg. The abbey remains to be the oldest continuously active monastery on German speaking countries. Once a Romanesque basilica with three aisles, the church was completely overhauled in the 17th and 18th centuries in an elegant baroque style. The west door dates back to around 1240. The St. Peter's Abbey is richly adorned with art treasures, including some altar paintings by Kremser Schmidt, one of the most famous devotive and altar painters of the 18th century. The Salzburg Madonna in the left chancel is from the early 15th century. The interior of the church of St. Peter's Abbey gives a very clear impression of the Romanesque style. The Rokoko decoration in the church is reflected in the large number of altars. Two huge Renaissance style bronze candlesticks dating back to 1609 were donated by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. In one of the chapels located on the right side aisle of the church are the memorial of Johann Michael Haydn (another well known Austrian composer), a marble plaque in memory of Mozart's sister and the tomb of Hans Werner von Raitenau.
In 1769 13 year old Amadeus Mozart composed his "Dominicus Mass" for
Abbot Hagenauer and in 1783 he directed his famous Mass in C-minor.
In 1782 Johann Michael Haydn composed the "Rupert Mass" for St.
Peter's Abbey. |