The Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz

Based at the Abbey of Stift Heiligenkreuz, in the Vienna woods area of Austria, the Cistercian Monks came to the attention of the pop music and classical crossover-buying audience with the release of the album Chant: Music for the Soul -- (the album was entitled Chant: Music for Paradise in Europe) in 2008. The album, a collection of the monks participating in the "sung prayer" that is Gregorian chant, was a hit the world over, bringing a fair amount of attention -- not to mention financial windfall -- to the centuries-old order. Founded in 1133 by St. Leopold III, the abbey a...