Nonnberg

Nonnberg, of course, is the abbey where Maria Kutschera was a candidate before leaving to tutor with the von Trapp family. Her pupil was her future stepdaughter and namesake Maria Franziska. According to Agathe von Trapp's memoir - Memories Before and After the Sound of Music:

The doctor had recommended that this particular teacher [Maria] should leave the convent for a year and get a job because of constant headaches. He felt that her headaches were caused by the sudden confining life she had to lead in the convent. Papa hired Gustl [Maria's nickname] on the spot, sight unseen.

In her own memoir, Maria described herself as "among the lowest of the low" at Nonnberg "the first Abbey of Benedictine Nuns north of the Alps, a place of unearthly beauty."

The abbey was founded in the eighth century by St. Rupert, who was also the founder and patron saint of Salzburg (and gave his name to the eldest von Trapp child). Its first Mother Abbess was Saint Erentrudis. She was a niece of the founder. Maria and Georg named their first child Rosmarie Erentrudis. Residents of the Salzburg area pray to St. Erentrudis for relief from migraines - and this may further have endeared her to Maria.

According to one source, a thirteenth century abbess named Diemut allowed the sisters to slip "into worldly habits in terms of their hair cleansing and grooming." Needless to say, this could not be tolerated for long and "Archbishop Ladislaus saw this manifestation of vanity was put to an end." Sound man, Ladislaus.

I particularly enjoyed these two videos of the abbey:

I can only provide the link to the second video. But I love the Mother Abbess in sunglasses. What would Archbishop Ladislaus think?