Abbey Church dedicated to the Ascension of Maria and to Saint Jacob/James the Elder
Cistercian Abbey Schlierbach
Schlierbach, Upper Austria, Austria
1671/1672: start of construction;
1674: prelate court’s west front was finished;
1678: east and north wing and the abbey’s tower were finished;
1680–83: erection of the church, its tower and the cloister tract;
1699–1701: the monastery complex was finished;
1712: the library was added
Architecture: Pietro Francesco Carlone (c. 1607–80), Carlo Antonio Carlone? (c. 1635–1708), Johann Michael Prunner (1669–1739); stucco work: Giovanni Battista Carlone (c. 1642–1721), Bartolomeo Carlone (c. 1650–1724); fresco paintings: according to a preserved contract Giovanni Battista Carlone (c. 1642–1721); high altar painting: Franz Werner Tamm (1658–1724); side altar paintings (one burned in the 1960s): Johann Michael Rottmayr (before 1654–1730) and Johann Karl von Reslfeld (c. 1658–1735); carvings: Johann Josef Wanscher (c. 1675–1738); statues high altar: Johann Christoph Jobst? (dates unknown).
High Baroque
Ecclesiastical architecture
Eberhard von Wallsee V founded a Cistercian convent (1355) on the place of a former medieval castle that existed until 1556. 1620 resettlement by Cistercian monks who came from Stift Rein/Abbey Rein in Styria, Austria.
After 300 years of changing ownerships, Eberhard von Wallsee V acquired dominion of Schlierbach, including the fortress (1353). Some months later he founded a Cistercian convent with the first prioress (later abbess) Elisabeth von Gundelfingen and twelve nuns to whom he donated the property. Under the 17th and 18th abbesses the doctrine of Protestantism spread rapidly in the region, the convent secularised, declined and was left by the nuns. During the following years it was administrated by different religious organisations until emperor Ferdinand II (1578–1637) decided that Cistercians should take over the place. In 1620 three monks who came from Stift Rein in Styria started rebuilding the monastery and re-catholisation. Since that time the abbey has stayed under the ownership and responsibility of Cistercians.
In the third quarter of the 17th century new parts and wings of Stift Schlierbach/Schlierbach Abbey were erected on the place of the medieval fortress and the later convent edifices. Vischer’s engraving in the Topographia Austriae Superioris gives an idea of how it possibly looked in this time. The data acquisition had stopped before start of building, with ancient buildings remaining on the place and planned abbey wings included on the view.
The abbey’s extended west front with thirty windows axes, three floors and plain facade is enthroned over the valley, unpretentious in its exterior, according to Cistercian order rules that demand a simple lifestyle. Only the north front has later received a delicate decoration – either to welcome guests who drove straight towards it or for the monks’ own pleasure who could see it from the then-existing extensive park area opposite.
As it was the baroque era and the abbots were above all ecclesiastical princes, the interior was furnished in a most splendid way. The members of the well-known Carlone family with their many architects, artists and artisans were the preoccupied performers and created what many art historians evaluate as one of the most important baroque interiors in Austria, particularly the quality of the stucco work and interior decoration.
The abbey with its several magnificent baroque halls such as the Bernhardisaal (hall dedicated to St Bernard) and the library, is best known for its richly decorated church. One would call the interior “double-baroque” as a first baroque builder began to decorate what the second completed and multiplied some years later. South German/Austrian stucco work, carving and gilding work culminated in this building which has a unique look and is therefore outstanding under Austria’s baroque churches.
Historical documents
Almost in the middle of the abbey’s four-wing complex, between the prelate’s court and the cloister.
1679–85
Stucco figures and fresco paintings: Giovanni Battista Carlone (according to a preserved contract); stucco plants and ornaments: Bartolomeo Carlone; high altar painting: Franz Werner Tamm; side altar paintings: Johann Michael Rottmayr and Johann Karl von Reslfeld; carvings, stucco: Johann Josef Wanscher; statues, high altar: Johann Christoph Jobst?
The abbey church was built under abbot Benedikt Rieger. It was also under him that the ceiling and the walls got the rich and artistic sculptural design. There are myriads of stucco garlands made of leaves, flowers and fruits as well as ceiling paintings framed with 3D stucco and umpteen statues of putti (male toddlers), angels and saints. No square centimetre was left empty. Nivard II Dierer succeeded as abbot and contented himself with embellishing the interior. He – who had come from a wealthy family and who had seen Versailles Palace – was enthusiastically re-decorating the church. He added a “second layer” of gilded carvings and framed flower still lifes to the pilasters and it was probably he who had coloured and (later) gilded the originally white limed(?) stucco. This was found out recently in thorough analysis with regard to forthcoming restoration works: in Abbot Nivard´s II era all the stucco work on the ceiling as well as the background was light pink, the sculptures – putti and saints – dark pink and the pilasters were marbled grey blue. Probably a bit later, all the stucco of the walls and side chapels was gilded (the abbot may have remembered Versailles Palace). The gold and silver surfaces in the Bernhardisaal (s. Detail 2) give an impression of how the church may have looked when the stucco was gilded.
The high altar painting is dedicated to the Assumption – the Mother of God, sitting on a cloud, is ascending to heaven. She is surrounded by angels who sprinkle roses into her grave.
East wing, outer court
c. 1700
Stucco work: Bartolomeo Carlone
The Bernhardisaal, a typical baroque imperial hall (a splendid room to receive the emperor and his family when they would pass by), is the most ornate in the abbey. Thanks to a restoration not long ago the hall reappears in its original magnificence. Gilded stucco work, the huge gilded coat of arms (Abbot Nivard II’s) and the silver-plated putti clambering on walls and ceiling as well as the colourful frescoes with allegorical scenes and gold frames make of the hall a baroque work of art. The room gets much light from several windows lying on top of each other on both longitudinal sides. And there are windows with illusionistic views on both narrow sides. Typical witty baroque detail - the portrait of a shooter, above the marble mantel piece, that aims at the spectator.
Between the real windows there are paintings representing historical and church historical scenes, above flower still lifes. The doors are marble framed.
East wing, next to the church’s tower
1712
Architect(s): Carlo Antonio Carlone (plans?); construction: Johann Michael Prunner(?) (and gallery?)
Surprisingly there was no library planned as an extra building at the start (but there must have been a room for the book collection), maybe it was planned and could not be constructed for some reason. It was added 40 years later to the east wing in two floors and in the form of an irregular cross. A gallery with a balustrade grid of wrought iron with gilded leaves and flowers is sitting on wooden and marbled pillars with Corinthian capitals. The window soffits and the corner pillars are decorated with stucco works (plants, ornaments and putti). There are frescoes all over the ceiling, in the cupola roof in form of an illusionistic architecture. All the fresco paintings show scenes that have a context of content with books.
As the library wing is located next to a hill, there has often been damage after heavy rain and landslides; once it was totally buried. In the 19th century the building was sinking and almost collapsed. In 1894 parts of the fresco paintings fell down or were damaged by the rain. From 1969 to 1974 the library was completely refurbished and the foundation rebuilt.
Brucher, G., Barockarchitektur in Österreich, Cologne: DuMont, 1983: 55–56 and 66–68.
Engl, F., “Die Arbeiten der Brüder Carlone in der Stiftskirche zu Schlierbach”, Passauer Jahrbuch, XI (1969): 87–90.
Garzarolli-Thurnlackh, K., Die Stiftskirche von Schlierbach in Oberösterreich, Diss., Graz, 1918/19.
Keplinger, Pater L., Stift Schlierbach, Linz: Zisterzienserstift Schlierbach, 1990.
Sturm, J., Beiträge zur Architektur der Carlone in Österreich, 2 vol, Diss, Vienna, 1968/69.
Gabriele Liechtenstein "Abbey Church dedicated to the Ascension of Maria and to Saint Jacob/James the Elder" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;at;Mon11;36;en
MWNF Working Number: AT 36