Kapuzinerkloster - Capuchin Monastery
Perched high on the Kapuzinerberg, the Capuchin Monastery with its simple architecture is a dominant feature of the city of Mozart. From the pulpit, you can enjoy an overwhelming view over the rooftops of Salzburg.
In the Middle Ages, a fortified tower known as the “Trompeterschlösschen” was located on the Kapuzinerberg, at the site of today’s Capuchin Monastery. When Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietric von Raitenau brought the Capuchins to Salzburg in 1594, he decided to transform this tower into a monastery with a church, which would then serve as the future home of the order.
Many paths lead up the Kapuzinerberg. If you begin your climb from the Linzer Gasse, the path will lead you past six baroque chapels depicting Stations of the Cross, concluding with an impressive Crucifixion group. Yet another path to the monastery leads via the Imbergstiege, past St. John’s Chapel. Coming from the north-east of Salzburg, you can reach the Capuchin Monastery by following the Doblerweg from Fürbergstraße – also taking you past the Franziskischlössl.
Despite its own modest architecture, the Capuchin Monastery is visible from afar due to the bastion before it and a towering cross. The inner portal, whose Late Gothic oak door is reputed to come from the old Salzburg Cathedral, is particularly impressive. In contrast, the monastery church is rather simple, inviting visitors to sit in quiet contemplation.
