!!!Christianisierung

Christianisation: Even though the organisation of the Church in 
Austria broke apart with the decline of Roman rule, the Christian 
faith may have survived in parts of the population. Most of the east 
German tribes taking part in the Great Migration were Arians, the 
Huns, Bavarians, Slavs and Avars were pagans. Re-Christianisation, 
carried out in several stages, was introduced for political reasons by 
the Franks and promoted by the Carolingians, especially in the 
8%%sup th/%  century.

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Even earlier, Iro-Scottish monks had started the first attempts at 
Christianisation soon after 600. Around 610 their main exponent,  
Kolumban (Columban) the Younger, built a monastery and a church near 
Bregenz, but had to move to Italy two years later (died in Bobbio, 
615). His disciple, Eustasius, did missionary work in Bavaria and was 
active in Lorch (Upper Austria), but returned to Ireland in 629. 
Another important missionary for Austria was  Gallus (d. around 645), 
who completed the Christianisation of the Alemanni in the area of Lake 
Constance and divided Vorarlberg between the bishoprics of Chur and 
Constance. Apart from that, Christianisation through individual 
Iro-Scottish monks was only intermittently effective; their last 
exponent in the 8%%sup th/%  century was Bishop  Virgil of Salzburg.

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Around 700 the Bavarian duke assigned new places of activity to the 
monastic bishops from Frankish regions: Emmeram from the southwest of 
Gaul was active in Regensburg, Corbinian from the Gallican-Frankish 
region of the River Seine in Freising and  Rupert from the environs of 
Worms in Salzburg. The latter found some parts of the population to be 
Christians and the monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg still had an 
Iro-Scottish community of monks. In the 8%%sup th/%  century Rupert 
also founded the Maximilian's cell in the monastery of Bischofshofen 
and a bishopric in Passau (731), whose first bishop was called Vivilo. 
These first bishops, together with their supporters, largely succeeded 
in Christianizing the Bavarians.

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The third factor of Christianisation in Austria was the Anglo-Saxon 
mission, the main exponent of which,  Bonifatius, organised the 
Bavarian church in 739 on Papal order and with the consent of the 
Bavarian duke; he also divided up the territory into four bishoprics, 
which were also to determine the future Austrian church structure. The 
Iro-Scottish features disappeared, despite Virgil's efforts to 
maintain them in Salzburg. Further Christianisation occurred with the 
rise of the Carolingian Empire, since it guaranteed the continuing 
existence of Christianity and promoted the foundation and completion 
of church institutions (archbishopric Salzburg 798).

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Missionary work was carried on from the bishoprics to the Slavic 
regions. Before 774 Bishop Virgil of Salzburg (d. 784) built a church 
of respectable size on the site of the present-day cathedral and 
started to Christianise the Alpine Slavs in Karantania. Modestus, a 
bishop subordinate to Virgil, built a church in Maria Saal 
(consecrated 767). In 833 Prince Priwina was baptised in Traismauer. 
By these activities Salzburg acquired a large district, which was 
enlarged by the bishoprics of Gurk, Seckau and Lavant during the 
11%%sup th/%  and 12%%sup th/%  centuries.

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Passau was assigned mission activities in the Danube valley, which 
proved very successful during the 9%%sup th/%  century and even 
included the Slavs living in Moravia. In the Carolingian March 
monasteries and churches were founded (St. Florian and St. Poelten), 
but no parish organisation was as yet established. In the 2%%sup nd/%  
half of the 9%%sup th/%  century the Slavic bishops Cyril and 
Methodius became rivals of the Bavarian bishops, who tried to defend 
themselves by emphasizing their own missionary success.

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The Christianisation of the native population (most of the immigrants 
were Christians) encountered a severe setback by the Hungarian attacks 
in eastern Austria in the 10%%sup th/%  century and was not completed 
until the end of the 10%%sup th/%  century. This is documented by 
cemeteries from that time, where Christians and pagans were buried 
next to each other. The establishing of marches around 970 and their 
colonization occurred in the name of Christianity and led to the 
systematic foundation of parishes, followed by the foundation of new 
monasteries and the development of a culture completely determined by 
the spirit of Christianity.

!Literature
H. Koller, Die Christianisierung des Ostalpenraumes, in: 
Religion und Kirche in Oesterreich, Schriften des Instituts fuer 
Oesterreichkunde, 1972; H. Ubl, Fruehchristliches Oesterreich, in: 
Severin. Zwischen Roemerzeit und Voelkerwanderung, exhibition 
catalogue, Enns 1982 (with a list of Christian churches in Austria in 
Roman times); St. Peter in Salzburg, exhibition catalogue, Salzburg 
1982.


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