1.
German language
–
German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and it is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg. Major languages which are most similar to German include other members of the West Germanic language branch, such as Afrikaans, Dutch, English, Luxembourgish and it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the languages of the world, German is the first language of about 95 million people worldwide. The German speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of publication of new books. German derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, a portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and English. With slightly different standardized variants, German is a pluricentric language, like English, German is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects, with many unique varieties existing in Europe and also other parts of the world. The history of the German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the migration period, when Martin Luther translated the Bible, he based his translation primarily on the standard bureaucratic language used in Saxony, also known as Meißner Deutsch. Copies of Luthers Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region that translated words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics initially rejected Luthers translation, and tried to create their own Catholic standard of the German language – the difference in relation to Protestant German was minimal. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a widely accepted standard was created, until about 1800, standard German was mainly a written language, in urban northern Germany, the local Low German dialects were spoken. Standard German, which was different, was often learned as a foreign language with uncertain pronunciation. Northern German pronunciation was considered the standard in prescriptive pronunciation guides though, however, German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire and its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Some cities, such as Prague and Budapest, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain, others, such as Pozsony, were originally settled during the Habsburg period, and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest and Bratislava as well as cities like Zagreb, the most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the Deutsches Wörterbuch. This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860, in 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a standardization of the German language in its written form
2.
Krems an der Donau
–
Krems an der Donau is a town of 23,992 inhabitants in Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria. It is the fifth-largest city of Lower Austria and is approximately 70 kilometres west of Vienna, Krems is a city with its own statute, and therefore it is both a municipality and a district. Krems is located at the confluence of the Krems and Danube Rivers at the end of Wachau valley. Krems was first mentioned in 995 in a certificate of Otto III, for example, a childs grave, over 27,000 years old, was found here. This is the oldest grave found in Austria, during the 11th and 12th centuries, Chremis, as it was then called, was almost as large as Vienna. Krems is the producer of Marillenschnaps, an apricot brandy. Krems is the hometown of Martin Johann Schmidt, called Kremserschmidt, innenstadt Weinzierl Mitterau Stein Egelsee Rehberg Am Steindl Gneixendorf Lerchenfeld Krems-Süd The population in the agglomeration was about 50,000 at the end of 2010. Krems is a junction of the Wieselbus bus lines, which provides connections between Sankt Pölten and the different regions of Lower Austria. A network of four bus lines operates at intervals within the city. Every summer, a tourist train connects the ancient parts of the city museums, the central railway station. Swimming is available at Kremser Strandbad and outdoor
3.
Lower Austria
–
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria, the capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna has not officially been part of Lower Austria since 1921. With a land area of 19,186 km2 and a population of 1.612 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to the federal state of Vienna. Situated east of Upper Austria, Lower Austria derives its name from its location on the Danube River. Lower Austria has a border,414 km long, with the Czech Republic. The state has the second longest external border of all Austrian states and it also borders the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Styria and Burgenland as well as surrounding Vienna. Lower Austria is divided into four regions, known as Viertel, Weinviertel or Tertiary Lowland Waldviertel or Bohemian Plateau Mostviertel Industrieviertel and these regions have different geographical structures. Whilst the Mostviertel is dominated by the foothills of the Limestone Alps with mountains up to 2,000 m high, semmering Wechsel The state border with Styria runs over both passes. Almost all of Lower Austria is drained by the Danube, the only river that flows into the North Sea is the Lainsitz in northern Waldviertel. The most important rivers north of the Danube are the Ysper, Kamp, Krems, Lainsitz, March, south of the Danube are the Enns, Ybbs, Erlauf, Melk, Pielach, Traisen, Schwechat, Fischa, Schwarza, Triesting, Pitten and the Leitha. Ottenstein Reservoir Lunzer See Erlaufsee Erlauf Reservoir Wienerwaldsee Lower Austria is rich in natural caves, most of the caves have formed in limestone and dolomite rocks and are therefore called karst caves. Cavities also form in the marble of the Central Alps and the Bohemian Massif, the history of Lower Austria is very similar to the history of Austria. Many castles are located in Lower Austria, klosterneuburg Abbey, located here, is one of the oldest abbeys in Austria. Before World War II, Lower Austria had the largest number of Jews in Austria, Lower Austria is divided into four regions, Waldviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel, and Weinviertel. The Wachau valley, situated between Melk and Krems in the Mostviertel region, is famous for its landscape, culture, administratively, the state is divided into 20 districts, and four independent towns. In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria
4.
Canons Regular
–
Secular canons, by contrast, belong to a community of priests attached to a church but do not take vows or live in common under a Rule. Canons Regular are sometimes called Black or White Canons, depending on the color of the habit worn by the congregation to which they belong. Some congregations of Canons Regular have retained the vow of stability, famous Canons Regular include Pope Adrian IV, Thomas à Kempis, and Desiderius Erasmus. The Canons Regular are not to be confused with the Order of Saint Augustine, Pope Urban II wrote of two forms of religious life, the monastic and the canonical. He likened the monks to the role of Mary, and the canons to that of her sister and these clergy were called canon because their names were kept in a list known as a kanon, a Greek word meaning rule. The monks sought to reflect supernatural order and stability within their monasteries, with examples of worship, farming, medical care, librarianship, learning, by 1125 hundreds of communities of Canons had sprung up in Western Europe. Usually they were autonomous of one another, and varied in their ministries. One obvious place where a group of priests was required was within a cathedral, where there were many Masses to celebrate, Canons often came to be associated with cathedrals, but other groups of canons also established themselves in smaller centres. In a word, canons regular may be considered as the genus, and Austin Canons as the species, or all Austin Canons are canons regular and this is what constitutes a canon regular and what distinguishes him from a monk. The clerical state is essential to the Order of Canons Regular, Erasmus, himself a canon regular, declared that the canons regular are a median point between the monks and the secular clergy. The outer appearance and observances of the canons regular can seem very similar to those of the monks and this is because the various reforms borrowed certain practices from the monks for the use of the canons. According to St. Augustine, a canon regular professes two things, sanctitatem et clericatum, St. Augustine’s teaching and example has become the heritage of the Church as it sets about bringing to life again the common life of clerics. The canons regular do not confine themselves exclusively to canonical functions, many congregations of canons worked among the poor, the lepers, and the infirm. The clerics established by St. Patrick in Ireland had a Guest House for pilgrims, and the rule given by Chrodegang to his canons enjoined that a hospital should be near their house that they might tend the sick. St. Augustine of Hippo did not found the order of canons regular, there were Canons Regular before St. Augustine. In the first centuries after Christ, priests lived with the bishop and carried out the liturgy, while each could own his own property, they lived together and shared common meals and a common dormitory. From the 4th to the middle of the 11th century, the communities of canons were established exclusively by bishops, the oldest form of canonical life was known as Ordo Antiquus. The first who successfully united the clerical state with the observance was St Eusebius
5.
Altmann of Passau
–
Altmann of Passau, often called Saint or Blessed Altmann, was a founder of monasteries and Bishop of Passau. He is venerated as a saint, but not officially canonised and he was born between 1013 and 1020 in Westphalia to a family of the greater nobility of Saxony. He was educated at the school at Paderborn, of which he later became director. He was also a prebendary in Aachen, court chaplain to Emperor Henry III, in 1065 he became Bishop of Passau and began reforms of the clergy. In 1070 he founded St. Nicholas Abbey in Passau as a monastery of the Canons Regular and in 1083 Göttweig Abbey in Lower Austria, which in 1094 became a Benedictine monastery. He also reformed the monasteries of St. Florian, Kremsmünster Abbey, Melk and St. Pölten. In 1074 he announced the reforms of Pope Gregory VII, whom he supported in the subsequent Investiture Controversy, in 1076 neither he nor Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg took part in the Reichstag of Worms and, also like Gebhard, Altmann supported the counter-king Rudolf of Swabia. He was driven from Passau by supporters of Emperor Henry IV, Altmann attended the synods of 1079 and 1080 in Rome, was appointed Papal legate for Germany, and was able to win the Babenberger Leopold II of Austria over to the Papal party. In 1085 the Emperor deposed him as Bishop of Passau, after which he spent most of his time in the territory of the Babenbergers and he died in Zeiselmauer in Lower Austria and is buried in the church of Göttweig Abbey. He is venerated as a saint, although never officially canonised and his feast day is 8 August. Boshof, Egon,2003, Altmann von Passau, in, Lexikon der Heiligen und der Heiligenverehrung. ISBN 3-451-28191-0 Oswald, J.1957, Altmann, in, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche. Innsbruck - Wien - München, Tyrolia, in,900 Jahre Stift Göttweig 1083-1983. Ein Donaustift als Repräsentant benediktinischer Kultur, wodka, Josef,1959, Kirche in Österreich. 1965, Der heilige Altmann Bischof von Passau
6.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau
–
The Diocese of Passau is a Roman Catholic diocese in Germany that is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. It should not be confused with the Prince-Bishopric of Passau, a principality that existed for centuries until it was secularized in 1803. The diocese covers an area of 5,442 km², Pope Benedict XVI was born and baptized on Holy Saturday,16 April 1927, at Marktl am Inn, which is located within the Diocese of Passau. The Diocese of Passau may be considered the successor of the ancient Diocese of Lorch, during the great migrations, Christianity on the Danube was completely rooted out, and the Celtic and Roman population was annihilated or enslaved. In the region between the Lech River and the Enns, the wandering Bajuvari were converted to Christianity in the century, while the Avari, to the east. He confirmed as incumbent of Passau, Bishop Vivilo, or Vivolus, who had been ordained by Pope Gregory III, thenceforth, Vivilo resided permanently at Passau, on the site of the old Roman colony of Batavis. Here was a church, the founder of which is not known, to Bishop Vivilos diocese was annexed the ancient Lorch, which meanwhile had become a small and unimportant place. By the dukes generosity, a cathedral was erected near the Church of St. Stephen. The boundaries of the diocese extended westwards to the Isar river, in ecclesiastical affairs Passau was probably, from the beginning, suffragan to Salzburg. The first missionaries to the pagan Hungarians went out from Passau, Passau, the outermost eastern bulwark of the Germans, suffered most from the incursions of the Hungarians. At that time many churches and monasteries were destroyed, when, after the victory the Battle of Lech, the Germans pressed forward and regained the old Ostmark, Bishop Adalbert hoped to extend his spiritual jurisdiction over Hungary. By founding many monasteries in his diocese he prepared the way for the power of later bishops. He also built new churches and restored others from ruins. His successor, Christian received in 999 from Emperor Otto III the market privilege and the rights of coinage, taxation, Emperor Henry II granted him a large part of the North Forest. Henceforward, indeed, the bishops ruled as princes of the empire, under Berengar the whole district east of the Viennese forest as far as Letha and March was placed under the jurisdiction of Passau. During his time the cathedral chapter made its appearance, but there is little information concerning its beginning as a corporation with the right of electing a bishop. This right was much hampered by the exercise of imperial influence, at the beginning of the Investiture Controversy, St. Altmann occupied the see and was one of the few German bishops who adhered to Pope Gregory VII. Ulrich I, Count of Höfft, who was for a time driven from his see by Emperor Henry IV, furthered monastic reforms, Ulrich, Count of Andechs, was formally recognized as a prince of the empire at the Reichstag of Nuremberg in 1217
7.
Pope Urban II
–
Pope Urban II, born Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was Pope from 12 March 1088 to his death in 1099. He is best known for initiating the First Crusade and setting up the modern-day Roman Curia in the manner of an ecclesiastical court to help run the Church. Pope Urban II was a native of France and he was a descendant of a noble family in Châtillon-sur-Marne. Urban, baptized Eudes, was born to a family of Châtillon-sur-Marne and he was prior of the abbey of Cluny, later Pope Gregory VII named him cardinal-bishop of Ostia c. 1080. He was one of the most prominent and active supporters of the Gregorian reforms and he was among the four whom Gregory VII nominated as papabile. From the outset, Urban had to reckon with the presence of Guibert, Gregory had repeatedly clashed with the emperor Henry IV over papal authority. Despite the Walk to Canossa, Gregory had backed the rebel Duke of Swabia, Henry finally took Rome in 1084 and installed Clement III in his place. Urban took up the policies of Pope Gregory VII and, while pursuing them with determination, showed greater flexibility, usually kept away from Rome, Urban toured northern Italy and France. He facilitated the marriage of Matilda, countess of Tuscany, with Welf II and he supported the rebellion of Prince Conrad against his father and receiving the office of the groom from him at Cremona in 1095. The Empress Adelaide was encouraged in her charges of coercion against her husband. Urban maintained vigorous support for his predecessors reforms, however, Urban IIs problems included war with Germany, conflict in France, a rival pope and Christians in the East under siege. Perhaps a massive pilgrimage may solve these problems, a great council met, attended by numerous Italian, Burgundian, and French bishops in such vast numbers it had to be held in the open air outside the city of Clermont. Though the Council of Clermont held in November of the year was primarily focused on reforms within the church hierarchy. Urban IIs sermon proved highly effective, as he summoned the nobility and the people to wrest the Holy Land. There exists no exact transcription of the speech that Urban delivered at the Council of Clermont on 27 November 1095, the five extant versions of the speech were written down some time later, and they differ widely from one another. All versions of the speech except that by Fulcher of Chartres were probably influenced by the account of the First Crusade called the Gesta Francorum. Fulcher of Chartres was present at the Council, though he did not start writing his history of the crusade, Robert the Monk may have been present, but his version dates from about 1106. The five versions of Urbans speech reflect much more clearly what later authors thought Urban II should have said to launch the First Crusade than what Urban II himself actually did say
8.
Rule of Saint Benedict
–
The Rule of Saint Benedict is a book of precepts written by Benedict of Nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedicts Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation, pax, compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism, because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. The Rule of Saint Benedict has been used by Benedictines for fifteen centuries and his Rule was written as a guide for individual, autonomous communities, and to this day all Benedictine Houses remain self-governing. Advantages seen in retaining this unique Benedictine emphasis on autonomy include cultivating models of tightly bonded communities, perceived disadvantages comprise geographical isolation from important activities in adjacent communities. Other perceived losses include inefficiency and lack of mobility in the service of others, Christian monasticism first appeared in the Eastern Roman Empire a few generations before Benedict of Nursia, in the Egyptian desert. Within a generation, both solitary and communal monasticism became very popular and spread outside of Egypt, first to Palestine, Saint Basil of Caesarea codified the precepts for these eastern monasteries in his Ascetic Rule, or Ascetica, which is still used today in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In time, setting an example with his zeal, he began to attract disciples, after considerable initial struggles with his first community at Subiaco, he eventually founded the monastery of Monte Cassino in 529, where he wrote his Rule near the end of his life. In chapter 73, Saint Benedict commends the Rule of Saint Basil and he was probably aware of the Rule written by Pachomius, and his Rule also shows influence by the Rule of St Augustine of Hippo and the writings of Saint John Cassian. Chapter 3 ordains the calling of the brothers to council upon all affairs of importance to the community, Chapter 4 lists 73 tools for good work, tools of the spiritual craft for the workshop that is the enclosure of the monastery and the stability in the community. These are essentially the duties of every Christian and are mainly Scriptural either in letter or in spirit, Chapter 5 prescribes prompt, ungrudging, and absolute obedience to the superior in all things lawful, unhesitating obedience being called the first degree, or step, of humility. Chapter 6 recommends moderation in the use of speech, but does not enjoin strict silence, chapters 8-19 regulate the Divine Office, the Godly work to which nothing is to be preferred, namely the eight canonical hours. Detailed arrangements are made for the number of Psalms, etc. to be recited in winter and summer, on Sundays, weekdays, Holy Days, Chapter 19 emphasizes the reverence owed to the omnipresent God. Chapter 20 directs that prayer be made with heartfelt compunction rather than many words and it should be prolonged only under the inspiration of divine grace, and in community always kept short and terminated at a sign from the superior. Chapter 21 regulates the appointment of a Dean over every ten monks, each monk is to have a separate bed and is to sleep in his habit, so as to be ready to rise without delay, a light shall burn in the dormitory throughout the night. Chapters 31 and 32 order the appointment of officials to charge of the goods of the monastery. Chapter 33 forbids the possession of anything without the leave of the abbot. Chapter 34 prescribes a just distribution of such things, Chapter 35 arranges for the service in the kitchen by all monks in turn. Chapters 36 and 37 address care of the sick, the old, and they are to have certain dispensations from the strict Rule, chiefly in the matter of food
9.
Saint Blaise Abbey, Black Forest
–
St. Blasien Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in the village of St. Blasien in the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The early history of the abbey is obscure, at some point the new foundation would have had to become independent of Rheinau, in which process the shadowy Reginbert of Seldenbüren, traditionally named as the founder, may have played some role. The first definite abbot of St Blasien however was Werner I, on 8 June 1065 the abbey received a grant of immunity from Emperor Henry IV, although it had connections to the family of the anti-king Rudolf of Rheinfelden. Bernold of Constance in his histories counts St Blasien alongside Hirsau Abbey as leading Swabian reform monasteries, other religious houses reformed by, or founded as priories of, St Blasien were, Muri Abbey, Ochsenhausen Abbey, Göttweig Abbey, Stein am Rhein Abbey and Prüm Abbey. It also had significant influence on the abbeys of Alpirsbach, Ettenheimmünster and Sulzburg, a list of prayer partnerships, drawn up about 1150, shows how extensive the connections were between St Blasien and other religious communities. Nevertheless, the office became a possession of the Zähringer. While this may well have preserved a certain bond with the Emperor, from the mid-13th century the Vögte were Habsburg which this drew St. Blasien increasingly into the Austrian sphere of influence. The abbey was dissolved in the course of secularisation in 1806, the monks however, under the last Prince-Abbot Dr Berthold Rottler, found their way to St. Pauls Abbey in the Lavanttal in Austria, where they settled in 1809. From 1934, the buildings have been occupied by the well-known Jesuit college. It remains as the Dom St Blasius, or St Blasien Cathedral, the effects of another catastrophic fire in 1874 were only finally remedied in the 1980s. W. Urkundenbuch des Klosters Sankt Blasien im Schwarzwald, von den Anfängen bis zum Jahr 1299, Teil I, Edition, Teil II, Einführung, Verzeichnisse, Register, Stuttgart. Vortrag beim Schwarzwaldverein St. Georgen e. V, november 2004, Teil 2, N-Z, pp. 76ff. Studien zur Geschichte des Klosters St. Blasien im hohen und späten Mittelalter, Die Vogtei über das Kloster St. Blasien seit dem Aussterben der Zähringer bis zum Übergang an das Haus Habsburg, in, Zeitschrift für die Geschichte des Oberrheins, Band 113, pp. 30–44. Die Klostergrundherrschaft St. Blasien im Mittelalter, germania Benedictina, Bd.5, Die Benediktinerklöster in Baden-Württemberg, 2nd ed. pp. 146–160. ISBN 3-88096-605-2 St Blaises Cathedral and the Jesuit community Aerial View of the Monastery Complex Sculpture in St Blaises Abbey Church
