On Sunday, Salzburg’s old town was all about folk culture. Shortly after 9.30 a.m., the solemn procession with the relics of the Saint Erentrudis from Nonnberg Abbey. The destination of the approximately 300 people was Salzburg Cathedral. In the largest church in the state, around 2,000 people celebrated a celebratory service for the “mother of the country” under the leadership of Archbishop Franz Lackner.
Shooters accompany parade in Salzburg
Then came the Erentrudis Festival – accompanied by a loud and colorful parade with marksmen, music bands and local associations from the old town back to the Nonntal. In total, over 1,000 active members of Salzburg’s folk culture took part.
“For many people in Salzburg, the saint was and is an important anchor in life,” says Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP). “Erentrudis will continue to bring people in the city and the country together in 2024. What we saw today was unique. I am very proud of the diverse folk culture associations in the state and their volunteers who made this day unforgettable for young and old.”
Who is Saint Erentrudis?
As a powerful abbess, Salzburg’s “mother of the country” Erentrudis headed the Nonnberg monastery 1,300 years ago – central to the early Christian community in Salzburg and an important economic enterprise. Saint Erentrudis of Salzburg was the first abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nonnberg. She lived in the 7th century and was a relative of Saint Rupert of Salzburg, who brought her from her home in Franconia to Salzburg. After her death, probably in 718, her grave became a place of pilgrimage and she has been venerated as a saint ever since. Today, the Benedictine monastery is considered the oldest women’s monastery still in existence north of the Alps.
Saint Erentrudis is venerated as the patron saint of the city and her feast day is June 30th.
(Source: SALZBURG24)
