The Petersfriedhof or St. Peter's Cemetery is – together with the burial site at

Nonnberg Abbey Nonnberg Abbey () is a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria. Founded by Saint Rupert of Salzburg, it is the oldest continuously existing convent, nunnery in the German-speaking world. The monastery complex is today ...

– the oldest cemetery in the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n city of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, located at the foot of the Festungsberg with

Hohensalzburg Castle Hohensalzburg Fortress () is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. It sits atop the Festungsberg mountain at an altitude of 506 m. It was erected at the behest of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg. The fortress is long a ...

. It is one of Salzburg's most popular tourist attractions. Closed in 1878, the site decayed until in 1930 the monks of St. Peter's successfully urged for the admission of new burials.

History

Salzburg St Peters Friedhof Katakomben Kapelle

Its origins date back to about 700, when the adjacent St. Peter's Abbey (''Stift St. Peter'') was established by Saint

Rupert of Salzburg Rupert of Salzburg (, ; 660 – 710 AD) was Prince-Bishopric of Worms, Bishop of Worms as well as the first Bishop of Salzburg and abbot of St Peter's Abbey, Salzburg, St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg. He was a contemporary of the Francia, Frank ...

. The abbey's cemetery, probably at the site of an even earlier burial place, was first mentioned in an 1139 deed, the oldest tombstone dates to 1288.

Catacombs

Carved into the rock of the Festungsberg are

catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

that may stem from the Early Christian days of

Severinus of Noricum Severinus of Noricum ( 410 – 8 January 482) is a saint, known as the "Apostle to Noricum". It has been speculated that he was born in either Southern Italy or in the Roman province of Africa. Severinus himself refused to discuss his personal h ...

during the

Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

. They include two chapels: The ''Maximuskapelle'' and the ''Gertraudenkapelle'', consecrated in 1178 under the Salzburg Archbishop

Conrad of Wittelsbach Conrad of Wittelsbach (c. 1120/1125 – 25 October 1200) was the Archbishop of Mainz (as Conrad I) and Archchancellor of Germany from 20 June 1161 to 1165 and again from 1183 to his death. He was also a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. The ...

and dedicated to the assassinated Archbishop

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

of Canterbury. A second chapel, The ''Margarethenkapelle'' (Margaret Chapel), (re-)built in 1491, occupies a site in the center of the cemetery.

Notable burials

Petersfriedhof Salzburg - Grave of Clemens Holzmeister 1 - DSC01436

Santino Solari Santino Solari (1576 – April 10, 1646), was a Swiss architect and sculptor, who worked mainly in Austria. He was born in the Canton of Tessin, in Switzerland, near Lugano. In 1612, he was appointed chief architect of Salzburg by the a ...

, architect (1646) *

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber correctly ''Biber von Bibern'' ( bapt. 12 August 1644, Stráž pod Ralskem – 3 May 1704, Salzburg) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left ...

, composer (1704) * :de:Johann Christian Paurnfeind, Salzburg mayor (1768) * Sigmund Haffner, Salzburg mayor (1772) * :de:Ignatz Anton von Weiser, Mozart librettist (1785) * :de:Wolfgang Hagenauer, architect (1801) *

Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 1737 – 10 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohra ...

, composer, younger brother of

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

(1806) *

Maria Anna Mozart Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia "Marianne" Mozart (30 July 1751 – 29 October 1829), nicknamed Nannerl, was a highly regarded musician from Salzburg, Austria. In her childhood, she developed into an outstanding keyboard player under the tutelage ...

(''Nannerl''), elder sister of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(1829) * :de:Johann Georg von Hagenauer, architect, younger brother of Wolfgang Hagenauer, (1835) * :de:Heinrich Ritter von Mertens, Salzburg mayor (1872) *

Georg Pezolt Georg Pezolt, also Petzoldt or Petzold (8 May 1810 in Salzburg – 28 October 1878 in Salzburg) was an Austrian painter, architect and art critic, who became the first monument conservator in Salzburg. Life and work He served a apprenticesh ...

, painter (1878) *

Richard Mayr Richard Mayr (18 November 1877, in Henndorf – 1 December 1935, in Vienna) was an Austrian operatic bass-baritone who was particularly admired for his performances in works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He ...

, opera singer (1935) * Carl Mayr, artist, elder brother of Richard Mayr (1942) * :de:Otto Pflanzl, poet (1943) * Franz Martin, historian (1950) * :de:Richard Hildmann, Salzburg mayor (1952) * Harry J. Collins (1963), US Army Major General *

Bernhard Paumgartner Bernhard Paumgartner (born 14 November 1887 in Vienna; died 27 July 1971 in Salzburg) was an Austrian conductor, composer and musicologist. He is most famous for being Herbert von Karajan's composition teacher at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, wher ...

, conductor (1971) * :de:Gustav Kapsreiter, maecenas (1971) * Leopoldine Wojtek, artist (1978) *

Clemens Holzmeister Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent Austrian architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 pro ...

, architect (1983) * Franz Wasner, priest, musician, spiritual adviser and musical director of the Von Trapp family (1992) * Hans Lechner, politician (1994) * :de:Georg Schuchter, actor (2001)

Other cemeteries in Salzburg

* Salzburger Kommunalfriedhof * Sebastiansfriedhof * Jüdischer Friedhof Salzburg * Friedhof Maxglan * Friedhof Aigen * Friedhof Gnigl * Friedhof Leopoldskron * Friedhof Morzg * Friedhof Liefering * Friedhof Mülln * Friedhof des Stiftes Nonnberg * Soldatenfriedhof im Nonntaler Donnenbergpark

History

Catacombs

Notable burials

Other cemeteries in Salzburg

See also