Nonnberg Abbey and Gothic Hall Church

Why is it significant?

Walk through the secluded courtyard of Nonnberg Abbey, perched gracefully upon a green terrace below the fortress walls. Founded around 714 by Saint Rupert and his niece Saint Erentrudis, this venerable Benedictine sanctuary is the oldest continuously operating women's monastery on earth.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Walk through the secluded courtyard of Nonnberg Abbey, perched gracefully upon a green terrace below the fortress walls. Founded around 714 by Saint Rupert and his niece Saint Erentrudis, this venerable Benedictine sanctuary is the oldest continuously operating women's monastery on earth. For over thirteen centuries, Benedictine nuns have maintained an unbroken rhythm of prayer, choral chant, and quiet labor within these historic walls.

Enter the noble Gothic hall church of Saint Mary, rebuilt in the late fifteenth century after a disastrous fire. The high choir features exquisite late Gothic stained-glass windows and a splendid carved winged altarpiece from 1515. Deep beneath the choir in the paradise chapel, delicate Romanesque wall frescoes from the mid-twelfth century depict Byzantine-style angels gazing with solemn, compassionate eyes.

Nonnberg holds a special place in twentieth-century popular culture: this was the actual convent where Maria Augusta Kutschera, later Maria von Trapp, served as a novice before marrying Baron Georg von Trapp. Key scenes in The Sound of Music were filmed at the convent gate, where the Trapp children came seeking their governess. The abbey remains a place of profound peace and devotion. The intricately crafted facade details and historic masonry continue to captivate historians and travelers alike. A thoughtful walk through these historic alleys reveals how masterfully Salzburg preserved its rich architectural heritage across centuries.

If you visit during early morning services, you can hear the nuns' ethereal Gregorian chants drifting down from the enclosed choir gallery. From the monastery terrace, the gaze sweeps across the red roofs of the Nonntal district toward the snow-capped Gaisberg mountain. It is an unforgettable sanctuary of living history untouched by the passage of centuries. Generations of Salzburg citizens have shaped this extraordinary site and passed its inspiring stories down to posterity.

This concludes our comprehensive exploration of Salzburg's historic Old Town, Cathedral, clifftops, and Hohensalzburg Fortress. May the timeless music and majestic sights of this world heritage city stay with you always.