500 Schilling Holy Cross Church

The Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Lower Austria, founded by Margrave Leopold III in 1133, holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously inhabited Cistercian monasteries in the world. This coin was issued as part of Austria's long-running silver commemorative program that used the 500 Schilling denomination throughout the 1980s to document ecclesiastical and architectural heritage before the series was eventually superseded by higher-denomination issues ahead of euro conversion planning.

The abbey also houses what is claimed to be the largest relic of the True Cross outside Rome, acquired by Duke Leopold V following the Third Crusade.