Kreuzweg - Heiligenkreuz 3

Very nice facility that invites you to linger and pray.

Attached is the enclosure with the infamous white "Hubertus" deer.

The Way of the Cross in Heiligenkreuz The baroque Stations of the Cross in Heiligenkreuz is one of the most beautiful and artistically demanding Stations of the Cross in Austria. As early as 1650 there were three crosses on the plateau above Gaadener Strasse. They should remember the Calvary in Jerusalem. In 1670, some Viennese citizens built a chapel on this site in honor of the crucified. In 1671 Abbot Clemens Schäffer had a hermit's house built next to it. The magnificent Way of the Cross was built between 1731 and 1748 on the initiative of Abbot Robert Leeb. As a young priest, the abbot was very impressed by the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem and planned the Way of the Cross in memory of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The 14 stations were initially marked by large wooden crosses. The architect was a student of the famous Lukas von Hildebrandt, Franz Anton Pilgram. The mason Josef Frauenschuh, the master carpenter Matthias Paumgartner and the stonemasons Johann and Peter Keller - all from the town - carried out the work The artistic direction was in the hands of the baroque sculptor Giovanni Giuliani. The statues came from his workshop. Giuliani himself created the statue of the Savior, which is now replaced by a copy. The original is in the collegiate church. The lay brother Lukas Troger created the wooden reliefs in the 13 station chapels and the sculptor Josef Schnitzer created the sandstone figures. The Way of the Cross soon became a very popular destination for pilgrims and local people. On Lent Sundays, several large processions were still being led across the Stations of the Cross at the end of the 19th century. Over the years, the Way of the Cross has been thoroughly renovated several times. In 1993, five years of restoration work was completed. to whom we owe the present condition of the Way of the Cross.