St Florian's Priory
| St. Florian Monastery | |
|---|---|
St. Florian Monastery in Sankt Florian, Austria
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Sankt Florian, Austria |
| Geographic coordinates | 48°12′26″N 14°22′44″E / 48.207251°N 14.378765°ECoordinates: 48°12′26″N 14°22′44″E / 48.207251°N 14.378765°E |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| State | Linz-Land District, Upper Austria |
| Country | Austria |
| Year consecrated | 1071 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Carlo Antonio Carlone Jakob Prandtauer |
| Architectural type | Monastery |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Founder | Bishop Altmann of Passau |
St. Florian Monastery (German: Stift Sankt Florian) is an Augustinian monastery in the town of Sankt Florian, Austria. Founded in the early ninth century, and later refounded by Augustinians in the eleventh century, St. Florian is the largest monastery in Upper Austria, and rivals Melk Abbey and Klosterneuburg Monastery as among the most impressive examples of Baroque architecture in Austria. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Florian, whose fourth century grave lies beneath the monastery.
The monastery, named after Saint Florian, was founded in the Carolingian period. Since 1071 it has housed a community of Augustinian Canons, and is thus is one of the oldest operational monasteries in the world following the Rule of St. Augustine.
Between 1686 and 1708 the monastery complex was reconstructed in Baroque style by Carlo Antonio Carlone, whose masterpiece is St. Florian's. After his death, Jakob Prandtauer continued the work. The result is the biggest Baroque monastery in Upper Austria.Bartolomeo Altomonte created the frescoes.
Construction of the library wing began in 1744, under Johann Gotthard Hayberger. The library comprises about 130,000 items, including many manuscripts. The gallery contains numerous works of the 16th and 17th centuries, but also some late medieval works of the Danube School, particularly by Albrecht Altdorfer.
In 1827, Polish librarian Father Josef Chmel found one of the oldest Polish literary artifacts, an illuminated manuscript containing the Psalms in Latin, German and Polish in the monastery. Because of the site of discovery, it has been named the Sankt Florian Psalter, and now resides in the National Library of Poland.
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