The two church caves in Salzburg overlooking St. Peter's Cemetery.
There are more legends surrounding the Salzburg church caves than there are facts, which makes them even more intriguing. At the base of Mönchsberg (a mountain named after the Benedictine monks) are two church caves overlooking St. Peter’s Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Salzburg dating back to 1627. The first church cave, Gertraudiskapelle is more church, less cave with the mountain forming just the back wall of the church that was consecrated in 1178. The second church cave, Maximushöhle is more cave less church and is built right into the mountain and remarkably dates back to Roman times in the third century. It would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Today, Maximushöhle is accessible by stairs carved into the mountain but in earlier times was only accessible by a precarious small rock ledge. We also know that the cave churches have been used since the middle ages for worship and hermitage – perhaps they couldn’t find one of those cheap holidays and had to resort to a stay-cation instead? But that’s virtually where the facts end and the questions begin.
The Maximushöhle church cave is very well hidden and built right into the Mönchsberg.
One of the biggest questions is why were the church caves built in the first place? Was it because it was easier to dig out rock rather than to build a building from scratch? Perhaps it was because the cliff back wall was sturdier than anything that could have been built? It’s also curious that the church caves are often referred to as the “Salzburg Catacombs” since “catacomb” usually refers to a place where many people are buried, of which there are not many buried at the Salzburg Catacombs. A catacomb is also a place typically used for hiding. My tour guide of Salzburg clearly stated that the Salzburg Catacombs were used for hiding throughout their long history, while other internet sources dispute this. From my own personal observation I can’t help but think the Maximushöhle was used as a hiding place. I mean, just look at it, it’s very well integrated into the mountain and is not meant to stand out, but perhaps this was not the original intention of its design. Regardless of why the church caves of Salzburg were built they way they were, I find them absolutely fascinating and like that there’s more questions than answers. I will be in Salzburg again in a couple of weeks and plan to ponder these questions and perhaps develop some of my own theories, adding further to the existing lengends at the nearby St. Peter Stiftskeller, the oldest restaurant in Central Europe dating back to 803. What can I say, I think better on a full stomach!
I'm Laurel, a former Program Director from Canada now living in Munich, Germany. I love traveling, diving, and hiking. I'm also an animal enthusiast with a special affinity for monkeys, cats and sharks.
Intriguing story and structure. What I’d really like to know is what were whom hiding from?
Mette Christensen recently posted..Zuppa cremoso di lenticchie rosse
Fascinating! I shall be interested to hear more from your subsequent visit. Many inhabited caves were used as defensive structures in earlier times. There are many examples of this in the American Southwest. And our local examples in Canada, the Diefenbunkers in Ottawa and Alberta, constructed during the Cold War to counter the threat of nuclear attack. I wonder if the history of the Church Caves have a defensive motivation from ancient times. Great post.. Excellent photos.
Barry recently posted..Swinging Bridge – Yosemite – Hiking California
It’s so well hidden that I didn’t see the windows at first in the second pic!
Zhu recently posted..In The Woods
@Mette – Our guide mentioned it was during Roman times when Christians were being killed, but the internet sources I found dispute this. Definitely intriguing.
@Barry – I hope I’m able to find out more, but I may just have even more questions. It would make sense that church members had to hide at certain points in history.
@Zhu – Did you see them in the first picture as well? They’re even harder to see there
Absolutely fascinating……amazing the things that people did without the proper tools!
Renee King recently posted..12 Travel Packing tips that will make your trip less hectic!
There is a church built in a cave in Budapest, as well, with a similar array of fascinating stories around it. With the long history of religious persecution, I think hiding is probably a pretty safe guess. I agree with you, though. The questions are more fun than finding actual answers.
Shawna-KinderJet recently posted..Family Travel Video of the Week – Disneyland
[...] here to read the rest: Church Caves of Salzburg | Expat in Germany Posted in Church Tags: church, legends-surrounding, salzburg, urrounding-the-salzburg « [...]
It took me a while to spot all the windows in the second picture
Very well hidden. Really cool!
Sabrina recently posted..Only in Texas: Skull with Horns on Truck
Structures built into stone walls/mountains/etc are so intriguing. Part of me wishes I could build a house like that… and part of me thinks it might feel a tad claustrophobic.
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Another Digital Nomad Goes to Chiang Mai
@Renee – Agreed, I can only imagine how long it took to build these church caves.
@Shawna – Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check it out when I’m in Budapest. I agree that the hiding makes sense given all the religious persecution over the years, but it sure is fun trying to piece together the details
@Sabrina – And it’s even harder in the first picture (top left)
@Christy – I agree, but I wouldn’t want to live in something built into a mountain either, I like my light too much!
Wow its so camouflaged in the cliff, love the leaded glass windows and arched frames. The structure built into the cliff reminds me of Mesa Verde National Park in the US, but they didn’t have glass windows.
Sam recently posted..Northgate Peaks Trail – Kolob Terrace – Zion National Park