Optics and Exposure

Copy of the Order of Benedict

On Thursday, Andy and Uta had the day off for a public holiday in Austria, so they took us on an expedition to Stift Melk, a Benedictine monastery in the town of Melk, a one-hour train ride west of Vienna. The monastery was founded in 1089, and rebuilt in 1702 under a “Stift” which recently translates to “bequeath.” Emperors would donate the money to build a stift when they felt guilty about something they’ve done.

The baroque monastery was quite a sight, very old and grande, with a quaint town that sprung up at its base. I think my favorite find was a copy of the Rule of St. Benedict. The monastery belongs to the Benedictine Order, and at least one copy of the Rule of St. Benedict (the guideline for how the community was to live) has survived from its inception in 1076. There’s a photo in the gallery below. We stuck around for lunch at one of the cafe’s, and then boarded our train back to Vienna for a quiet evening at the apartment.