In Part 2 I explained what a Stift is. In order to understand any Stift, especially Stift Klosterneuburg, it is important to have a good understanding of what a Stift was and how they came to be. In the German speaking world, many monasteries are termed “Stift”, but very few are a Stift in the original and historic sense.
I get quite a few odd looks when I show pictures or talk about Stift Klosterneuburg. What people see or hear does not fit with what they imagine a monastery should be. To some, Stift Klosterneuburg is a museum. But, it isn’t. It may have historical items and busses of tourists. But, it is not a museum. It is one of the few remaining Stifts. Before you can understand Stift Klosterneuburg, you need to understand what a “Stift” is and how they came to be.
One of the most common things people ask me these days is “So, what exactly are you going to do?” I try to answer their question the best I can. It is difficult to answer it. We live in a sound bite age and if an answer takes longer than 25 seconds, then people just stop you and say “Oh, that’s too confusing for me.”
The answer to the question is simply “I am moving to Austria to join the Canons Regular of St. Augustine.” But, this rarely answers anyone’s question. It just creates more questions. They normally arrive in this order:
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