 Throughout the fifteenth century, the Augustinian canons had devoted themselves to humanistic studies and the sciences, especially geography and astronomy.During the various wars of that period, especially the Ottoman sieges of Vienna in 1529 and 1679, the monastery suffered severe damage.In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation posed another threat to the monastery, as its influence led to reduced numbers—at one point leaving the monastery in the care of only seven canons.