Wolfgang, bishop and reformer, was born in
Swabia, Germany, and studied at Reichenau, under
the Benedictines, and at Wurzburg before serving
as a teacher in the cathedral school of
Trier.
He later joined the Benedictines at Einsiedeln
(964) and was appointed head of the monastery
school, receiving ordination in 971. He then set
out with a group of monks to preach among the
Magyars of Hungary, but the following year (972)
was named bishop of Regensburg by Emperor Otto
II.
As bishop, he distinguished himself brilliantly
for his reforming zeal and his skills as a
statesman. He brought the clergy of the diocese
into his reforms, restored monasteries, promoted
education, preached enthusiastically, and was
renowned for his charity and aid to the poor,
receiving the title Eleemosynarius Major (Grand
Almoner).
Wolfgang also served as tutor to Emperor Henry
II. He died at Puppingen near Linz, Austria in
994 and was canonized in 1052 by Pope Leo IX. St
Wolfgang's feast day is October 31.
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Some edited comments from Wikipedia and the
'TourMyCountry.com' website are reproduced below,
with acknowledgement.
"Situated on the northern shore of the
Wolfgangsee (close to the towns of Strobl and St.
Gilgen, both in the State of Salzburg) at the
foot of the Schafberg mountain, it is famous for
the White Horse Inn (Hotel Weißes
Rössl), the setting of the musical comedy
and for its pilgrimage church with a late Gothic
altarpiece by Michael Pacher.
"A destination spa, St. Wolfgang is also a
popular skiing resort during the winter. A rack
railway, the Schafbergbahn runs up the mountain."
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Today, St Wolfgang is popular with elderly
Austrian visitors for the comic operetta "Im
Weißen Rössl" ("In the White Horse"
— a local inn or hotel). With "The Sound of
Music" being virtually unknown in Austria, there
seems to be a gap for kitchy musicals - filled
with this very comedy, which is not overly
popular anywhere else than in Austria. The inn,
however, actually exits and is situated in a
prominent location by the lakeside (left and
below)
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Ralph Benatzky (5 June 1884 — 16 October
1957) was born in Moravské Budejovice as
Rudolf Josef Frantisek Benatzki. He was an
Austrian composer of Czech origin (when Benatzky
was born Czechia was part of the Austrian empire.
Benatzky mostly worked in Vienna).
He composed operas and operettas (such as
Casanova (1928), Die drei Musketiere (1929), Im
weißen Rössl (1930), and Meine
Schwester und ich (1930). He died in Zürich,
Switzerland.
Im weißen Rössl (English title: White
Horse Inn or The White Horse Inn) is a musical
comedy set in the Salzkammergut region. The plot
revolves around the head waiter of the inn in St.
Wolfgang who is desperately in love with the
owner, a resolute young woman who at first only
has eyes for one of her regular guests.
Sometimes classified as an operetta, the show
enjoyed huge successes both on Broadway and in
the West End (651 performances at the Coliseum
starting April 8, 1931) and was filmed several
times.
In a way similar to The Sound of Music and the
three Sissi movies, the play and its film
versions have contributed to the saccharine image
of Austria as an alpine idyll — the kind of
idyll tourists have been seeking for almost a
century. Today, Im weißen Rössl is
mainly remembered for its songs, many of which
have become popular classics.
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Saint Wolfgang erected the first church at the
shore of the Wolfgangsee after he withdrew to the
nearby Mondsee Abbey in 976. According to legend
he threw an axe down the mountain to find the
site and even persuaded the Devil to contribute
to the building by promising him the first living
being ever entering the church. However Satan was
disappointed as the first creature over the
doorstep was a wolf.
"After Wolfgang's canonization in 1052 the church
became a major pilgrimage site as it was first
mentioned in an 1183 deed by Pope Lucius III. A
small church might well have been in place for
quite a while but the first proper church can be
traced back to 1183.
"St Wolfgang grew steadily into the prosperous
little place that it essentially still is -
getting the privilege of having an own market in
1567, becoming a centre of pilgrimage and
eventually turning into a touristy place over the
course of the 19th century. Day-trips to St.
Wolfgang
"Being a church of pilgrimage for a very long
time (until Emperor Joseph II fought such customs
in the late 18th century), the church could
afford the erection of an elaborate altar.Known
as the "Michael Pacher Altar" (named after the
famous Tyrolian craftsman), it is considered to
be among the most significant pieces of Gothic
art in all of Austria. It is 12 metres high and
was completed in 1481.
"Not the only attraction among the church's
interior, another altar can be found further up
the nave: The "Schwanthaler Altar" is Baroque
dating from 1676 and was meant to replace the
'outdated' one by Michael Pacher. According to
legend, Schwanthaler (himself a famous craftsman)
purposely made the altar too big to fit into the
Pacher niche in order to prevent the Gothic altar
from being destroyed!"
Just outside the church one can see a small
Renaissance fountain built for the pilgrims
(below left).
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The 1481 artistic masterpiece in the shape of the
richly decorated winged high altar by Michael
Pacher (below).
The superbly carved central section is richly
gilded and portrays the Virgin Mary wearing a
crown and kneeling before her Son in intercession
for Mankind; by their sides stand St Wolfgang and
St Benedict.
The ciborium above consists of a number of
slender pinnacles, with God the Father uppermost
and below Him a superbly sculpted Crucifixion
group. The predella, or base of the altar,
depicts the Three Kings paying homage to the
Infant Jesus.
The two side panels show scenes from the life of
Christ and Mary, including the Nativity and the
Death and Assumption of Our Lady.
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The pulpit (below and below left was made by yet
another master of his craft: Meinrad
Guggenbichler.
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