Saint Hemma was born the Countess of Friesach-Zeltschach around 980. She was widely known for her charitable acts and founding of religious houses. With her great wealth she founded the Benedictine monasteries of Gurk and Admont. The latter still houses today the largest monastery library in the world – and is the starting out point for our pilgrimage that takes you across the Wölzer Tauern and the Grebenzen nature park to Gurk in Carinthia.

From Admont Monastery to Gurk

 

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St. Hemma, buried in the crypt of Gurk Cathedral, represents a significant connection between Slovenes and Austrians. Lots of places on both sides of the border have associations with her saintly life and the legacy of a faith and culture that is preserved to the present day. This heritage is visible in the numerous churches that Hemma had built on her extensive estate and in the parishes she founded. Her most beautiful memorial, in what today is Slovenia, is the parish church of St. Rupert in Šentrupert in Lower Carniola.

From Šentrupert to Gurk