Virgilia, Mother Abbess

Virgilia Lütz (March 27, 1869 – June 8, 1949)^[1] was a German Catholic nun who is known as being the Mother Abbess at the Nonnberg Abbey from 1921 until her death in 1949. She is known for her association with Maria von Trapp during von Trapp's time as a postulant at Nonnberg.^[2]

Biography

She was born in the town of Sigmaringen, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.^[3]She studied through the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

Upon her arrival at Nonnberg, which is of the Benedictine religious order, she rose through the ranks, and became Mother Abbess in 1921. Maria von Trapp (then Maria Kutschera) came to the Abbey in 1924 wanting to be a postulant and was accepted. Mother Abbess suggested Maria take a job working as the tutor for Georg von Trapp and his seven children. Von Trapp's wife had died in 1922, and he had written to the Abbey in 1926 asking if there was a nun there that could work with his sick daughter. The Abbey is located roughly ten minutes from the von Trapp estate on the outskirts of Salzburg.^[4]

Maria eventually left the Abbey, giving up her dream of entering her novitiate, and she married George von Trapp at the Nonnberg Abbey in 1927 with permission and spiritual guidance from Mother Abbess.

Mother Abbess was in charge of the Abbey during the years of World War II. Nazi Germany took control of Austria in 1938. During the war, religious institutions were typically left alone, but not deemed completely safe from harm or property searches. Many Catholic religious officials went against the Nazi wishes and helped those who were at risk for being sent to concentration camps.^[5]

She died at the age of 80 in 1949 and is buried on the grounds of the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg. It is not known the last time she saw Maria. The von Trapp family left Austria and immigrated to the United States. Upon Maria's arrival in the United States, she published her autobiography in 1949, which sparked widespread interest in her story. In the book she writes about the Mother Abbess and her time at Nonnberg.^[6]

Portrayal in media

Mother Abbess was portrayed in the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music by Patricia Neway, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance. The song Climb Ev'ry Mountain, written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is sung by the Mother Abbess to Maria, encouraging her to be strong and follow her heart.^[7]

In the 1965 film The Sound of Music, Mother Abbess was portrayed by Peggy Wood, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

In the original 1956 feature-film about the von Trapp family, Mother Abbess was portrayed by German actress Agnes Windeck.

References