The Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna

The Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna (Վիեննայի Մխիթարեան վանք) is one of the two monasteries of the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist (Mechitharist) Congregation, located in Vienna, Austria. The main center of the order is located in San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice, from which the Vienna branch broke off in 1773. The branch initially settled in Trieste, but moved to Vienna in 1805. After centuries of separation, the two branches of Vienna and Venice united in 2000. The Monastery of Vienna was declared their primary abbey. Until the early 20th century it was an important scholarly institution. It now contains a large number of Armenian manuscripts, magazines, coins, and other items.

The Mekhitarists of Vienna produce a herbal liqueur known as Mechitharine—popular in Austria—which they sell at their shop. They have produced it since 1889. It is their main source of income. Other sources of income include renting properties and guided tours.

The Mekhitarist Congregation of Vienna originated in 1773 when a group of monks left the island of San Lazzaro (Saint Lazarus), in Venice, and settled in Trieste, which was then under Austrian (Habsburg) rule. Empress Maria Theresa welcomed them in her domains and on May 30, 1775, granted them permission to establish a monastery and church and operate a printing house. After Napoleon’s invasion and occupation of Trieste, the Mekhitarists moved to the imperial capital of Vienna in 1805 since they were Habsburg subjects. In 1811 they settled in Am Platzl, an abandoned Capuchin convent just outside the city walls, in the St. Ulrich area. The congregation acquired the property in 1814.

In 1925 Ignaz Seipel, Chancellor of Austria, described the Mekhitarists as “the first pioneers of Austrian culture in the Orient.”

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia as of 1912 there were 125 Catholics of the Armenian Rite residing in Vienna out of the total population of 2,004,493. As of 1901 the monastery had 10 Mekhitarist priests, as compared with the 16 priests residing in San Lazzaro, Venice. As of early 2010s the number of fathers residing at the monastery stood at 5–6 or 7.

More here: The Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna

Group: Religious Structure

Type: Monastery

Century: 19th century

Geography: Vienna, Austria

Latitude: 48.206348377088, Longitude: 16.354670163796

Alternative names: Mekhitaristenkloster Wien

Contributed by: Armenian Heritage