The tour will begin with an introduction to the history of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna, recovered from bygone days.
Your learned monk will highlight the Church Maria Schutz built in 1874, replacing the old Cappuccine one. Your tour will continue into the interior of the church before venturing through the library and museum of the monastery. Here your guide will point out the outstanding altar painting showing St Mary’s protection of Armenia, painted by Camillo Sitte and a particularly remarkable piece of the altar dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator, designed by Theophil von Hansen, the architect of the Austrian Houses of Parliament in Vienna. From here you will proceed into the Loretto-Chapel holding the baroque miraculous picture “Mary with the Rose” which fortunately was rescued intact from the perils of the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683.
Continue past the refectory and marvel at its most impressive element, the monumental painting by Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld, ‘The Feeding of the Five Thousand.’
Your tour will continue on to the Mekhitarist Museum and Library: Dive into the fascinating world of the Mekhitarist Library and discover one of the most outstanding collections in the world: more than 2,800 Armenian manuscripts and more than 170,000 volumes of ancient and modern Armenian publications and the largest collection of Armenian newspapers and magazines found in the Western world. We'll accompany you through the various exhibitions of the museum and your guide will tell you more about the special features of the Mekhitarist numismatic collection of coins (10,000 Armenian and 20,000 from other countries), ceramics, carpets, and other items, mainly of Armenian production. The gallery contains valuable paintings by Armenian artists, among which there are three paintings by Aivazovsky.
In the end, you will taste high-quality Mechitharine liqueur. During it, you'll discover some of the secrets about the Mechitharine liqueur world, its unique taste, its history, its families, and the business.
