Millstatt#

Millstatt, Carinthia, market town in the district of Spittal an der Drau, alt. 611 m, pop. 3,270, area 57.81 km2, summer tourist resort (577,232 overnight stays) and bathing resort on the northern shore of Lake Millstatt; ship landing stage. - Forestry enterprise of the Oesterreichische Bundesforste AG (Austrian Federal Forests), congress centre, library, abbey museum, Festival of Music, 1,000-year-old lime tree. - First documented mention 1065-1075 as "Milistat". The Benedictine abbey (founded around 1060-1088, abolished 1469) had a school of sculpture, painting and writing. From 1469 seat of the Order of St. George (Georgsritterorden), 1598-1773 Jesuit college. Former abbey premises, surrounding two yards, with cloister, chapter house, Grand Master palace and abbey tract proper.

The former abbey church (now parish church) is a Romanesque-Gothic nave church (originally a Romanesque pier basilica, 11th century) with an impressive west tract and 2 towers, Romanesque stepped portal with stone relief and sculptures from the 12th century, significant Renaissance Last Judgement fresco, 6 x 4 m, by U. Goertschacher (1513-1518), high altar (1648) with richly gilt, symmetrical Baroque "gnarled" ornaments, and Baroque side altars in the side choirs; Loreto chapel in Gothic style (alterations end of 17th century); Domitian chapel (enlarged early 16th century) with altar (1716) and glass shrine (1643) of the legendary Duke Domitian and his wife; late Gothic "Siebenhirterkapelle" and "Geumannkapelle" chapels; former abbey premises with 4 defensive towers and ring work (around 1499), wall paintings on the cloister (around 1430), Renaissance pergolas (around 1530) in the south and west wings. Baroque Calvary chapel on hill; in Upper Millstatt, parish church (17th century) with altar (1720) and local heritage museum; in Matzelsdorf, church with late Gothic altar (around 1520); in Laubendorf, preserved church ruins from early Christian times (5th century).

Literature#