ABSTRACT

One of the first stops of Benedict XVI. during His visit in Austria is a visit to the convent of the Salesian Sisters at Rennweg on September 7. On His way from Vienna International Airport to "Am Hof" Square, Benedict XVI. will stop at the convent and change cars in the convent's courtyard. After the visit of the convent He will continue His journey with the Popemobile. The convent at Rennweg belongs to the Order of the Visitation of Mary, which was founded in the 18th century. All convents of this contemplative order are independent and come under the authority of the Holy See. Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, the widow of Emperor Joseph I., donated the convent of the Salesian Sisters in Vienna. The Empress meant to spend her retirement in this convent. At the same time, the convent was meant to enrich Vienna's religious life and was intended as an educational center for young girls from the impoverished aristocracy or the upper middle class. The sisters in the Salesian Convent in Vienna observe papal enclosure. The sisters only leave the convent on certain occasions, such as visiting a fellow sister in hospital or going to the polls. Today, the Salesian Sisters at Rennweg still live in the building which was originally built for them by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, which is very rare. The short visit of Pope Benedict XVI. is not going to be the first visit of a Pope to this convent: Pius VI., the first Pope to visit Austria in 1782, received guests and held audiences at the Salesian convent during His stay in Austria.

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On September 7, Benedict XVI. will change into the Popemobile in the courtyard of the historic Salesian Convent at Rennweg - Pope Pius VI. had already been a guest at the convent which is situated close to Belvedere Castle. One of the first stops of Benedict XVI. during His visit in Austria is a visit of the convent of the Salesian Sisters at Rennweg on September 7. On His way from Vienna International Airport to "Am Hof" Square, Benedict XVI. will stop at the convent and change cars in the convent's courtyard and continue His journey to the inner city. "We are going to fly the yellow-white Vatican flag to greet Benedict XVI., and the 18 sisters living in the convent are going to wait for the Holy Father at the convent gate," says the convent's Mother Superior, Sister Helga Maria Dilllinger, in an interview with "Radio Stephansdom." The convent at Rennweg belongs to the Order of the Visitation of Mary, which was founded in the 17th century by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Francis de Chantal. All convents of this contemplative order are independent and come under the authority of the Holy See. The sisters in the Salesian Convent in Vienna observe papal enclosure. The sisters only leave the convent on certain occasions, such as visiting a fellow sister in hospital or going to the polls.

Pius VI. Was a Visitor

The short visit of Pope Benedict XVI. is not going to be the first visit of a Pope to this convent: Pius VI., the first Pope to visit Austria in 1782, received guests and held audiences at the Salesian convent during His stay in Austria. "The enclosure was much stricter then, and the sisters were only allowed to welcome the Pope but they must not leave the enclosure," reminds Mother Superior.

Founded by Empress Wilhelmine

At the beginning of the 18th century, Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, the widow of Emperor Joseph I., donated the convent of the Salesian Sisters in Vienna. The faithful Empress loved the seclusion and after the early death of her husband in 1711, she wanted to withdraw to a convent but could not find an order in Vienna which suited her. The Order of the Visitation of Mary had been founded in 1610 and offered elderly women the chance to lead their life in a convent who could not obey exhausting penitential exercises, vigils, and strict fasting for reasons of health or age. Furthermore, women of any age and social status were allowed to spend a limited time in the convent. Providing the possibility of entering a convent for a limited time was revolutionary and with this idea, the founders of the order were ahead of their time.

In 1717, on Empress Wilhelmine Amalia's requests, five sisters of the order came from Belgium, the former Austrian Netherlands, to Vienna and began to establish the convent at Rennweg. The Empress meant to spend her retirement in this convent. At the same time, the convent was meant to enrich Vienna's religious life and was intended as an educational center for young girls from the impoverished aristocracy or the upper middle class.

Donato Felice d'Allio, who was born in Milan, was the convent's architect as well as the designer of the Baroque convent in Korneuburg. On May 13, 1719, exactly two years after the laying of the foundation stone, the church was consecrated in the presence of Empress Wilhemine Amalia and the first sisters moved into the convent. After her daughter had been married, the Empress withdrew to the convent completely. She died there and was buried in the convent's crypt next to the other sisters.

After the death of Wilhelmine Amalia, the Austrian Royal Family remained in close contact with the convent. Empress Maria Theresa as well as Empress Elizabeth "Sisi" loved to stay with the Salesian sisters. Even Joseph II., under whose reign many convents in Austria were abolished, cherished the educational work of the Salesian sisters and so the convent remained untouched.

Today, the Salesian sisters at Rennweg still live in the building which was originally built for them by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, which is very rare. A part of the spacious grounds of the convent consisting of eight courtyards between Belvedere Castle and the Botanical Garden has been rented. In the southern wing adjacent to Castle Belvedere, there are accommodated, today, departments of the Vienna University of Music. The major parts of the convent are not open for visitor due to the enclosure.

In 2000, the convent church was renovated and since then, the colors of the paintings in the dome done by the Venetian Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini shine as lucid as they originally did. In 2004, the former Apostolic Nuncio in Austria, Archbishop Georg Zur, brought a relic of Ladislaus Batthyany-Strattmann, the so-called "Doctor of the Poor" who had been beatified in 2003, to the church.

Source: "KATHPRESS"

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