This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in 2018. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.
We woke at 6:15 am, then went for a walk (MT)/run (Don) on a path by the docks from 6:40-7:40. Then we showered and went for breakfast in the ship’s restaurant. The forecast in the Viking Daily newsletter was for 65-91° F and sunny.
We
had not signed up for any of the optional shore excursions this day. However,
the Viking Daily newsletter listed at 9:30 am: “If interested, join Joey into
town by foot and public transport.” MT elected to remain on the ship and
prepare for the bus trip to Budapest the next day.
Don
joined Program Director Joey, with about 40 other passengers, for a walk to the
Metro stop to go back into the city. Don was able to use the Metro tickets left
over from the previous day. Once in the city
center, we were on our own. Don got off at the Stephansplatz Metro stop.
Don
chose to follow the “Stephansdom District”
walking tour outlined in “Frommer’s Vienna day by day” guide book we had
borrowed from friends back in Kansas.
Vienna” “Stephansdom District” walking tour map from Frommer’s guide book,
except that we would both start and finish in front of the Stephansdom
cathedral.
From
the Stephansplatz, the tour route
led onto Graben street, heading
northwest.
Thursday, 23 Aug 2018, 10:04 AM – Vienna: street sign for Graben, in District 1
(Inner City) (telephoto 93 mm).
The Graben (meaning Trench) is one of the most famous streets in
Vienna’s First District (Inner City). It begins at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz* and
ends at the junction of Kohlmarkt and Tuchlauben. Graben traces its origin back
to the old Roman encampment of Vindobona. The southwest wall of the settlement
extended along the length of the present-day Graben and Naglergasse; in front
of the wall was a trench (Graben), which still stood in front of the medieval
city walls, serving as a moat. When the city was enlarged at the end of the
12th century, the trench was filled in and levelled, becoming one of the first
residential streets in the new section of the city. The Graben became Vienna’s
main arterial road, and traffic no longer needed to pass through the main
market at Hoher Markt. The Graben served as a marketplace starting by 1295. However,
a fire in 1327 completely destroyed the area. At the turn of the 14th century,
new houses were built on both ends of the Graben. Over time, various local
dignitaries, at first primarily the wealthy bourgeoisie, took up residence on
the Graben. In the Baroque era, many residents rebuilt their houses and decked
out their facades.
Vienna: Graben before 1609 (Public
Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=544878).
Vienna: Graben – view to
northwest in 1781 (By Unknown -
http://meine.seestadt.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Carl-Schütz.-Am-Graben-1781.jpg,
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51689783).
Vienna: Graben – view to
northwest around 1900 (By Unknown - This image is available from the United
States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital
ID ppmsc.09219.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached
work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more
information., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2387249).
In the 18th century, use of the
Graben as a market decreased, and it became the most fashionable promenade for
the urban elite, including not just the nobility but also the entrepreneurial
class as well. In the 19th century, it became the site of an increasing number
of luxury shops, and many houses were removed. In the 20th century, in
connection with the construction of the subway, the Graben became a pedestrian
zone in 1971.
* The Stock-im-Eisen-Platz is named for the Stock im Eisen (staff in
iron), which is the midsection of a tree trunk from the Middle Ages, into which
hundreds of nails have been pounded for good luck over centuries. It is now
located in a glass case on a corner of the Palais Equitable. Before the 20th
century, a row of houses separated the Stock-im-Eisen-Platz from the
Stephansplatz. Since the destruction of those houses, the name Stephansplatz
started to be used for the wider area covering both.
10:04 AM – Vienna: view to northwest on the Graben, with
Pestsäule in distance on right, beyond Leopoldsbrunnen.
10:05 AM – Vienna: Leopoldsbrunnen on the Graben
(telephoto 105 mm).
The Leopoldsbrunnen (Leopold’s Fountain) is situated on the southeast
side of the Graben toward Stephansplatz. It features a lead sculpture of
Leopold III (Margrave of Austria 1095-1136, known as Leopold the Good), who was
canonized in 1485 at Saint Leopold III.
Two fountains are found on the
Graben. Already in 1455, there was a fountain on the northwest end of the
Graben, and a second one was built on the southeast end in 1561; both served
primarily to put out fires. When new fire regulations were established, it was
decided in 1638 to rebuild the two fountains. At the behest of Leopold I (Holy
Roman Emperor 1658-1705), they were adorned with sculptures of Saints Joseph
and Leopold in 1680, in conjunction with the building of the Pestsäule. The
original sculptures have since been lost and were replaced in 1804. The present
statue depicts St. Leopold with a flag in his left hand, looking at a paper
with a sketch of the Klosterneuburg monastery (which he founded in 1108), held
by putto (small, naked child, cherub). Traditionally, St. Leopold is pictured
with a cross on his crown, carrying a banner with three eagles, and with the
Klosterneuburg. The statue stands on a plinth with reliefs on two sides, one of
which depicts the founding of the Klosterneuburg abbey. The original statue of
1680 pictured Leopold holding a model of the abbey in his right hand and a flag
in his left. Situated symmetrically on the other side of the Pestsäule is the
Josefsbrunnen with a statue of St. Joseph.
10:06 AM – Vienna: ornate building, with red sign with
gold letters on façade identifying it as the “Generali Hof” and signs on lower
two floors for “Knize.”
The Generalihof, at Graben 13, was first erected between 1794 and 1795,
in place of two older buildings from the 17th century, and rebuilt in 1831. In
1894, the Assicurazione Generali insurance company acquired the building,
renovating the façade and adding a penthouse. The typical Viennese
Zinshaus-style* building houses retail shops on the ground floor and offices
and residences above. The ground floor is now occupied by Knize, a prominent
tailor. The Generalihof was completely refurbished in 1991-93.
*Zinshaus means apartment building.
10:06 AM – Vienna: triangular pediment and statues atop
façade of Generalihof (mild telephoto 81 mm).
10:06 AM – Vienna: Pestsäule on the Graben, viewed from
southeast, with coat of arms of Hungary on pedestal.
The Pestsäule (Plague Column) was
constructed by Emperor Leopold I following the Great Plague of Vienna, which
claimed an estimated 76,000 residents in 1679. It is also known as the
Dreifaltigkeitssäule (Trinity Column). The Baroque memorial is one of the most
well-known and prominent sculptural pieces in Vienna. When fleeing the city
during the plague, Leopold I vowed to erect a monument if the epidemic would
end. Already in 1679, a provisional wooden column was inaugurated, showing the
Holy Trinity on a Corinthian column together with nine sculpted angels (for the
Nine Choirs of Angels). The sculptor commissioned in 1683 to create a permanent
monument died in 1686, but his basic conception and three of his angels can
still be seen on the present monument. Several other sculptors worked on it
before it was inaugurated in 1694, having been changed from a conservative
memorial column to a High Baroque scene, narrating a story in theatrical form.
The basic message of the complex iconography is that the plague and the
Ottomans’ Second Siege of Vienna (1683), both of them punishments for sin, were
averted or defeated by the piety and intercession of Emperor Leopold I.
The Trinity is expressed several times in the number three, namely
vertically in three stages:
1. In the pedestal reserved for
men, in the upper third of which Leopold I prays to God as an intercessor.
Vienna: Pestsäule on the
Graben – view from northeast, with Holy Roman Empire coat of arms on west face
and statue of Leopold I praying on south face (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax,
Canada - Austria-00772 - Plague Column, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66921846).
Vienna: Pestsäule on the
Graben – statue of Leopold I praying (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada -
Austria-00087, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66921230).
2. In the angels as a mediator
between God and man.
3. In the highest level reserved
for the Holy Trinity, seated on a cloud.
Vienna: Pestsäule on the Graben
– gilded sculpture of Holy Trinity at top (By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax,
Canada - Austria-02909 - Holy Trinity, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66919328).
In addition, a tripartite division
in the plan establishes a connection between the sacral program and the three
parts of the Habsburg monarchy:
1. The western face is dedicated to
God the Father and bears the double-headed eagle, the coat of arms of the Holy
Roman Empire, as well as the coats of arms of the Inner Austrian lands, the
duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. Between the west and east wings are
the coats of arms of the core countries of the monarchy.
2. The eastern face is associated
with the Son of God and bears the coats of arms of the kingdoms of Hungary,
Croatia, and Dalmatia, as well as Bosnia.
3. The northern face, which belongs
to the Holy Spirit, is decorated with the coats of arms of the Kingdom of
Bohemia, the Margraviate of Upper Lusatia and Lower Silesia, as well as the
Duchy of Silesia.
10:07 AM – Vienna: Pestsäule on the Graben, viewed from
east, with coats of arms of the kingdoms of Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia, as
well as Bosnia.
10:08 AM – Vienna: Pestsäule on the Graben, viewed from
west, with coat of arms of the Archdukes of Austria, and Generalihof in
background.
Just
west of the Pestsäule, the tour route then turned right (northeast) off the
Graben into the Jungferngasse (Virgins Alley), which led to the Peterskirche.
10:08 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche façade, viewed from
Graben.
The Peterskirche (St. Peter’s Church) is a Baroque Catholic parish church
located on Petersplatz, right next to the Graben and just west of the Pestsäule.
In 1970, the Archbishop of Vienna transferred it to the priests of the Opus
Dei. The façade faces southwest.
The oldest church on this site (of
which nothing remains today) dates back to the Early Middle Ages, and there is
speculation that it could have been the oldest church in Vienna (a distinction
held by the Ruprechtskirche). It is believed that not far from the main portal
of the present church was formerly a pagan temple. The tradition that there was
a late Roman hall church here in the second half of the fourth century cannot
be proven. That Roman church was built on the site of a Roman encampment. It
was replaced with a three-naved Romanesque church, believed to have been
established by Charlemagne around 800. A relief sculpture on the outside of the
church depicts the founding by Charlemagne, although there is no evidence to
support this claim. In any case, a Peterskirche in Vienna was first mentioned
in 1137. That old church burned down in 1661 and was given only makeshift
repairs. When Vienna was ravaged by the plague in 1679-80, Emperor Leopold I
took a vow to build a new church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, in place of
the dilapidated church.
Vienna: Peterskirche –
Kleiner Kirchenführer in German (scanned from brochure).
Vienna: Peterskirche – Brief
Guide in English (scanned from brochure).
Construction of the new Baroque
church, according to a plan by Gabriele Montani, began around 1702 with a
design inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, including a massive dome. Most
of the building was finished by 1722, and in 1733 the Peterskirche was
consecrated and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was the first domed structure
of the Baroque in Vienna.
Due to the confined space
available, the church was built in a very compact form, with its oval interior
housing an astonishing amount of space and rectangular attachments. The church
makes an overwhelming impression with its rich interior filled with golden
stucco. Its superb acoustics make it an ideal concert venue.
Vienna: Peterskirche – main portal, with street sign for “Peters Platz” at
right (By Photo: Andreas Praefcke - Self-photographed, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10870272).
The pavilion-like main portal made of gray marble was
added in 1751-53; atop it are lead statues of Faith, Hope, and Love, as well as
angelic figures bearing tiaras and keys, symbols of the pope’s sovereignty.
10:08 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche façade – statue of Judas
Thaddeus in niche at lower right, above street sign for “Peters Platz” and
historical marker for Peterskirche.
In the niches below the two towers that flank the façade are statues of
St. Peter and St. Simon (left, above and below), St. John the Evangelist (or
St. Paul?) and Judas Thaddeus (right, above and below).
10:10 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – view from rear of nave
to apse.
The sumptuous interior of the central building, which is overshadowed by the oval
dome, is enhanced by superior decorative art with brilliant colors
10:10 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – high (main) altar in
apse (mild telephoto 63 mm).
The altarpiece of the Baroque high altar (main altar) portrays the
Healing of the Lame by St. Peter and St. John in front of the Temple in
Jerusalem (1730-32). The small painting above the tabernacle on the high altar
depicts the Immaculate Conception (1836).
Vienna: Peterskirche – main
altar (By Georges Jansoone - Self-photographed, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1046357).
Vienna: Peterskirche – triumphal arch (By No machine-readable author provided.
Gryffindor assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source
provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=654711).
On the triumphal arch that separates the apse from the main body (nave) is
the imperial coat of arms with the double-headed eagle and the motto of Leopold
I “Consilio et industria” (Wisdom and diligence).
10:11 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – fresco in dome.
The dome fresco “Mariä Himmelfahrt” (Assumption of the Virgin Mary, 1714/1714)
is surrounded by frescoes around the four oval windows of the dome pillars (on
spandrels around the dome) portraying the four Evangelists and four Fathers of
the Church.
10:11 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – fresco in dome, in
large photo at rear of nave.
10:12 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – Sebastian-Altar on left
side of nave.
The side altar, the Sebastian-Altar (Altar of St.
Sebastian), in the Sebastianskapelle (St. Sebastian’s Chapel) has an altar
painting of “Martyrtum des Heiligen Sebastian” (Martyrdom of St. Sebastian)
from 1714. The sculptures below the painting (left to right) are St. Leopold,
St. Karl Borromaeus (Charles Borromeo), St. Rochus (Roque), and St. Ludwig
(Louis). Above the tabernacle is the small painting of “Maria Hilf” (literally
Mary’s Help, commonly Mary of Succor or Our Lady of Perpetual Help) from 1766.
10:12 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – pulpit to left of main
altar.
Vienna: Peterskirche – Holy
Trinity at top of pulpit (By Jebulon - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18621997).
The gilded, ornate pulpit (1726) in the Late Baroque style
is topped by a baldachin (canopy) with a representation of the Holy Trinity
(similar to that atop the Pestsäule). On its lower part is a relief of the
12-year-old Jesus in the Temple.
Vienna: Peterskirche – relief,
on pulpit, of visit of 12-year-old Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem (By Georges
Jansoone - Self-photographed, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1046385).
10:12 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – ornate Altar of St.
John Nepomuk to right of main altar.
The Johannes Nepomuk-Altar (Altar of St. John Nepomuk), as a
Gegenkkanzel (Counter-pulpit) on the pillar opposite the pulpit, depicts the
Martyrdom of St. John Nepomuk. On the right is Wenceslaus, King of the Romans,
on top is the Mother of God.
10:13 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – view past pulpit into
apse with main altar and oratory balcony on right.
10:14 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – Altar of St. Francis
de Sales on right side.
The Altar des Hl. Franz von Sales (Altar of St. Francis de Sales) has a
painting of “Erweckung eines ertrunkenen Knaben durch Franz von Sales”
(Awakening of a drowned boy by Francis de Sales, 1714). Other sources call this
painting “Wunder des heiligen Franz von Sales” (Miracle of St. Francis de Sales)
and say he was awakening a man from the dead. The statue just to right of
painting says “S. Amadeus” on its base, but is identified as Blessed Amadeus
IX, Duke of Savoy. St. Borius is at the far right. The small painting above the
tabernacle is of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Amadeus
IX
(1435-1472) was Duke of Savoy (1465-1472). After his death, several miracles
were attributed to his intercession. In 1619, the current Duke of Savoy issues
coins depicting Amadeus IX on one side. These appear to have been used as
religious medals and were distributed in Savoy by Francis de Sales. Presented
as a holy prince known for his charity and concern for the poor, Amadeus IX was
beatified (declared “Blessed”) in 1677. Although he was never canonized
(declared a “Saint”), the Catholic church venerates him with a liturgical feast
on March 30.
Vienna: Peterskirche – Altar of St. Francis de Sales on right side (By
Ricardalovesmonuments - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69155835).
10:14 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – view into apse with
main altar, oratory balcony on left side, and part of ceiling with small dome.
The dome in the apse is enhanced by painted pseudo-architecture.
10:15 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – view to rear of nave
with organ in high choir and a clock above the arch (large photo of dome fresco
at bottom right).
10:18 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – relief on outside wall
of Charlemagne founding the church. The German inscription below the relief
says: “Kaiser Karl dem Grossen dem Gründer des Österreichs-Stifter dieser
Kirche” (To Emperor Charlemagne, the Founder of Austria – Founder of this
Church).
A marble relief sculpture on the eastern side wall outside of the
church depicts the founding of a Romanesque church on that site by Charlemagne.
Some sources say that occurred around 800; others say it was in 792. However,
this could very well just be a legend. The relief was sculpted in 1906.
10:19 AM – Vienna: Peterskirche – view of exterior from
northwest, with Charlemagne relief at left, entrance to crypt and offices on
outside of apse at right, and dome above.
10:16 AM – Vienna: building at Petersplatz 6, across
from Peterskirche, which is identified by historical marker at left as
“Barockhaus” (Baroque House) with text in German that says it is the former
Pfarrhof (vicarage, rectory) of the Peterskirche around 1697, from a design by
Gabriele Montani; statue of St. Peter at right, with a Latin inscription on the
plaque below, bearing the date 1698 (mild telephoto 81 mm).
Vienna: statue of St. Peter, with a Latin inscription on the plaque
below, bearing the date 1698 in Roman numerals, on “Barockhaus” building at
Petersplatz 6, across from Peterskirche (By Jebulon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18634532).
The
tour route led around the back of the Peterskirche, then northwest onto the Steindlgasse street, then turned right
(northeast) onto Tuchlauben street.
10:20 AM – Vienna: Apotheke A. Moll (pharmacy), at
Tuchlauben 9, with sculpture of white stork on corner of Steindlgasse and
Tuchlauben (near a sign for “A. Moll Apotheke zum weißen Storch”) and painting
of white stork on corner of Tuchlauben and Kleeblattgasse (street sign at far
right); sign for Gösser Bierklinik restaurant above the pharmacy.
August
Moll
was a pharmacist who owned the historical Apotheke (pharmacy) “zum weißen
Storch” (to the White Stork) at Tuchlauben 9 in Vienna. The Apotheke zum weißen
Storch was founded in 1560. It was originally located in the Schönbrunnerhaus
at Tuchlauben 8 (see note below). In 1809, it came into the possession of Ignaz
Moll, and after his death in 1846 it passed to his son August, who moved the pharmacy
across the street to its present location at Tuchlauben 9 (corner house between
Steindlgasse and Kleeblattgasse) in 1872. The front of the building has a
historic sculpture of a stork on one corner and a painting of a stork at the
other corner.
Tuchlauben literally means
“cloth arches.” These arches were in fact the arched entrances that connected
the street to cellars where the merchants stored their cloth. This street was
one of the most distinguished in Vienna during the Middle Ages, the cloth merchants’
guild was one of the oldest and wealthiest in the city. Already at the time of
the Babenbergs, who were Austria’s ruling dynasty from 976 to 1246, the cloth
merchants were granted considerable freedoms and rights not granted to other
guilds.
The
guidebook’s next stop was to see the Neidhart
Frescoes at Tuchlauben 19. These richly colored wall paintings, with a
series of four scenes inspired by the songs of the medieval minnesinger (lyrical
poet) Neidhart von Reuenthal (c. 1190 to after 1236 or 1237), were commissioned
by a cloth merchant around 1407 for his private dance hall. These are the
oldest secular frescoes in Vienna. They were discovered during redevelopment in
1979 and are exhibited in situ by the
City of Vienna Museum. Don went inside, after ringing a bell at ground level
and upstairs to where the frescoes lined parts of walls at the left and right.
However, a woman with a cash box wanted €4 (the guidebook said admission for
adults was €2); so Don didn’t stay. On the staircase on way back down, he took
one photo of a fragment of a fresco located there.
10:27 AM – Vienna: Neidhart Frescoes – fragment on
staircase.
Later, Don found Public Domain photos of three of the
frescoes on the Wikimedia Commons website:
Vienna: Neidhart Frescoes –
“Castle” (By Unknown -
http://langenacht.orf.at/en/museum-detail/bl/wien/li/neidhart-fresken/, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36078000).
Vienna: Neidhart Frescoes –
“Peasant Fisticuffs” (By Unknown -
http://www.meinbezirk.at/wien-22-donaustadt/kultur/die-neidhart-fresken-m5330946,740433.html,
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36077669).
Vienna: Neidhart Frescoes –
“Theft of the Mirror” (By Unknown -
http://www.sagen.at/fotos/showphoto.php/photo/30299/size/big, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36099422).
10:29 AM – Vienna: ornate building, with dome of
Peterskirche down street behind it.
In an effort to identify this building,
Don searched the Internet for names of store signs in this photo:
10:29
AM (Cropped) – Vienna: signs for Hotel Wandel and Le Petit Chou to left of
ornate building, with Peterskirche at other end of narrow street.
Hotel
Wandel
(sign at left) address is at Petersplatz 9, although one side of it is on
Kühfussgasse (Cow Foot Alley).
Le
Petit Chou
(sign below that of Hotel Wandel) is a children’s shoe store at Kühfussgasse 2.
10:29
AM (Cropped) – Vienna: Schönbrunnerhaus, with signs for Delia’s around corner
to left and Akris around corner to right and fountain with bronze statue in
front of arched doorway.
Caffé
Delia’s
(sign on left corner of ornate building) is at Tuchlauben 8 (located at the corner of Tuchlauben and Kühfussgasse).
The Akris apparel store (signs on right side of ornate building) is
also at Tuchlauben 8 (located on the corner of Tuchlauben and Brandstätte).
The Schönbrunnerhaus (Beautiful Fountain House) is a free-standing
building with its ornate façade at the corner of Tuchlauben and Brandstätte streets. However,
the building actually occupies an entire triangular-shaped city block with its
widest side on Milchgasse and therefore has the address of Milchgasse 2. The building
currently seen at this location was built in 1899, but the history goes back
much farther. The name comes from a round fountain called Schöner Brunnen
(Beautiful Fountain), which stood in front of the house as early as 1436,
before being moved at the end of the 18th century to facilitate traffic. The
square on which the original fountain stood, which is where the
Tuchmacherbrunnen stands today, is a small triangular space that used to be the
intersection that led to two of the city gates as well as to the Peterskirche.
There is also evidence that this square goes back to before 1000 AD, making it
one of the oldest still-existing squares in the city. Sources indicate that in
the Middle Ages, up until about 1325, the Vienna Courthouse was located here before
being moved to the Hoher Markt.
Vienna: Tuchmacherbrunnen (Von
GuentherZ - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4643572).
The fountain in front of the
(former) main entrance of the building is the Tuchmacherbrunnen, (Cloth-Maker Fountain) also known as
Tuchlaubenbrunnen, located in front of the house at Tuchlauben 8. The bronze
figure over the fountain is of a man holding a large pair of scissors and
cutting a piece of cloth. This fountain was erected in 1928, on the 30th
anniversary of the insurance company Wiener Wechselseitige Versicherung
(originally Städtische Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Jubiläums-Lebens- und
Rentenversicherungs-Anstalt), which had its headquarters there. Between 1436
and 1753, the so-called Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) was located here,
after which the house at Tuchlauben 8 was also called the Schönbrunnerhaus.
Vienna: Schönbrunnerhaus in
1725, with Schöner Brunnen in square (Von Salomon Kleiner - Selbst
fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6926565).
Next,
the route turned onto the Brandstätte
street, heading southeast, back toward the Stephansdom.
10:30 AM – Vienna: street sign for Brandstätte (in 1st
District “1.” [Inner City]) just to right of “Einbahn” (one-way street) sign is
part of the red and white sign for Caffé Delia’s (telephoto 156 mm).
Brandstätte means “scene of
the fire.”
10:32 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – short north tower,
north side, and façade, with taller south tower visible behind steep tile roof.
At
the Stephansplatz, Don stopped in Konditorei
Aida (where we had eaten cake Wednesday) to use the WC (bathroom). Then he
went back around the south side of the cathedral.
10:38 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – upper part of south
side with tile roof and south tower.
6382
Thursday, 23 Aug 2018, 10:38 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – lower part of south
side with tile roof and south tower, above Stephansplatz.
10:38 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – south side with tile roof
and all of south tower.
10:39 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – rose window and Gothic statues
under pinnacle on right (southwest) corner of façade; the statue (on the left
in this photo) is of Duke Rudolph IV, founder of the cathedral (mild telephoto
72 mm).
Vienna: Stephansdom – rose
window and Gothic statues under pinnacle on southwest corner of façade; the central
statue (on the right in this photo) is of Duke Rudolph IV, founder of the
cathedral (By Uoaei1 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24930191).
10:40 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – Riesentor, main door on
west façade.
The main entrance is named Riesentor (Giant’s Door), referring to the thighbone of a mastodon that hung over it for decades after being unearthed in 1443 while digging the foundations for the north tower. On the past, people believed that giants (not dinosaurs or mastodons) lived on the Earth before the Great Flood came; as a result, dinosaur or mastodon bones were thought to be bones of giants and were kept in churches as relics. Together with the Heidentürme (Heathen Towers, also referred to as Roman Towers) that flank the west façade, the Riesentor is the oldest part of the Stephansdom still standing. It was built around 1230 in the Late Romanesque style with unusually rich ornamentation. The tympanum above the door depicts Christ Pantocrator (Christ in Majesty) flanked by two winged angels. This figure of Christ is in an early, almost Byzantine version of the posture, in a mandorla (almond-shaped frame), symbolically baring his knee, either as a secret Masonic sign or to underline his position as a biblical judge (in the Last Judgment). The archivolts are decorated with geometric motifs in relief instead of ornate sculptures of angels or saints as in other Gothic cathedrals.
Vienna: Stephansdom – Riesentor
tympanum with archivolts (CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=176943).
The main entrance is named Riesentor (Giant’s Door), referring to
the thighbone of a mastodon that hung over it for decades after being unearthed
in 1443 while digging the foundations for the north tower. On the past, people
believed that giants (not dinosaurs or mastodons) lived on the Earth before the
Great Flood came; as a result, dinosaur or mastodon bones were thought to be
bones of giants and were kept in churches as relics. Together with the Heidentürme
(Heathen Towers, also referred to as Roman Towers) that flank the west façade,
the Riesentor is the oldest part of the Stephansdom still standing. It was
built around 1230 in the Late Romanesque style with unusually rich
ornamentation. The tympanum above the door depicts Christ Pantocrator (Christ
in Majesty) flanked by two winged angels. This figure of Christ is in an early,
almost Byzantine version of the posture,
in a mandorla (almond-shaped frame), symbolically baring his knee, either as a
secret Masonic sign or to underline his position as a biblical judge (in the
Last Judgment). The archivolts are decorated with geometric motifs in relief
instead of ornate sculptures of angels or saints as in other Gothic cathedrals.
Aside from the Giant’s Gate, which
is used mostly for processional purposes, there are two other portals behind
the Heathen Towers, both in high Gothic style (ca. 1360-70): the Bishop’s Gate
to the north, once reserved for women, and the Singer Gate to the south, for
men. The decorative tympanum over the Bishop’s Gate features the Dormition and
Coronation of the Virgin, while the Singer Gate portrays the life and
conversion of St. Paul. Two additional, more modest entries lead to the church
through its south and north towers.
10:40 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – sculptures in niches on
left side of Riesentor: St. Stephen at top (mild telephoto 72 mm).
There are several statues in
unevenly ordered niches above the Riesentor. Among them are a griffin
overpowering a lamb, Samson fighting a lion, and (top left) St. Stephen, patron
of the church.
Vienna: Stephansdom – sculptures in niches on right side of Riesentor: griffin
overpowering lamb (left) and Samson fighting lion (right) (By Georges Jansoone
- Self-photographed, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1061036).
10:40 AM (Cropped)
– Vienna: Stephansdom – row of small sculptures across top of Riesentor.
Vienna: Stephansdom – row of
small sculptures across top of Riesentor (By © Traumrune / Wikimedia
Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30948750).
Across the top of the Riesentor is
a row of small sculptures, some of which
are heads of men with beards and brimmed hats with truncated conical tops.
These appear to be Jews.
Vienna: Stephansdom – Jewish heads
at top of Riesentor (By © Traumrune / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30948750
[Cropped]).
The first ecclesiastical
requirement for non-Christians to wear distinguishable clothing was in 1215,
when the Fourth Lateran Council ruled that Jews and Muslims had to wear
distinguishable clothing. In 1267, a council took place in the Stephansdom, in
which the church leaders devoted themselves meticulously to the improvement of discipline
and order in a Vienna “gone to rack and ruin.” The Jews were scapegoats for the
sad state of affairs. So the council decreed a dress code, in order to
distinguish Jews from Christians. Jews would have to wear a conical pointed
yellow hat, called pileus cornutus (horned scullcap) in Latin or Judenhut (Jewish
hat) in German. Although it had been previouly common for Jews to wear such
pointed hats, it not became mandatory. Other Christian countries in Europe
adopted similar measures: in Italy, it was a red cloak; in France a white and
red circle on the clothes; and in Germany the pileus was exchanged for a yellow
badge on the chest toward the end of the Middle Ages, popularly known as the “Judenfleck”
(Jewish spot or badge). Such badges served to mark the wearer as a religious
outsider and were therefore often regarded as a badge of shame. These were forerunners
of the Judenstern (Jewish star) that Nazi Minister of Propaganda Goebbels
ordered Jews to wear in 1938.
10:41 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – sculptures on left
(northwest) corner of façade (mild telephoto 81 mm).
The statue in the center is identified
as Katharina von Luxemburg (1342-95),
also known as Katharina von Böhmen (Catherine of Bohemia), She was a daughter
of Kaiser Karl IV (Emperor Charles IV) and wife of Duke Rudolf IV of Austria,
founder of the cathedral. Her figure appears on the side of Rudolf on his
cenotaph (unlike a tomb, a memorial containing no remains) in the Stephansdom,
although they were buried in the underground ducal crypt. However, she may or
may not have been buried in the cathedral, since she outlived Rudolf by 30
years, returned to her homeland after his death, and later married the Duke of
Brandenburg. Statues of Katharina and Rudolf also appear on the Bishop’s Door
on the north side of the Stephansdom.
10:41 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – sculptures on left
(northwest) corner of façade and around corner to north (the latter with a
banner at his feet that seems to read “Katarina”) (mild telephoto 81 mm).
10:48 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – door to crypt at
southeast corner of apse, with inscription “Krucifix Kappel zu der neuen
Grufften” (Crucifix Chapel of the New Crypts); Capistrankanzel to left.
10:48 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – crucifix through metal
bars on gate of Crucifix Chapel.
10:48 AM (Cropped) – Vienna: Stephansdom – plaque below
crucifix through metal bars on gate of Crucifix Chapel; inscription in German
translates: “At this place the immortal W. A. Mozart’s body was consecrated on
6 December 1791 – We. [Vienna] Schubert Association 1931.”
According to Frommer’s guidebook,
Mozart “died a pauper, buried in a mass grave in St. Marx cemetery.” However,
the Wikipedia page on Mozart says he was “interred in a common grave, in
accordance with contemporary Viennese custom, at Marz Cemetery outside the city
on 7 December” 1791; it further explains: The expression ‘common grave’ refers
to neither a communal grave nor a pauper’s grave, but to an individual grave
for a member of the common people (i.e., not the aristocracy). Common graves
were subject to excavation after 10 years; the graves of aristocrats were not.
10:48 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – Capistrankanzel with
Crucifix Chapel to right and relief to left.
Adjacent to the catacomb entrance
is the Capistrankanzel (Capistran Pulpit,
Pulpit of John Capistrano). The pulpit (now outdoors) from which St. John
Capistrano (Giovanni da Capistrano) and Hungarian general John Hunyadi preached
a crusade in 1456 to repel Muslim invasions of Christian Europe. That was the
year after Constantinople had fallen to the Ottoman Turks, the symbolic
endpoint of the Middle Ages, and Rome and Vienna were also threatened. The
18th-century Baroque statue shows St. Francis under an extravagant sunburst,
trampling on a beaten Turk. This was the cathedral’s original main pulpit until
it was replaced in 1515.
10:49 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – sculpture at top of
Capistrankanzel (mild telephoto 56 mm).
10:49 AM (Cropped) – Vienna: Stephansdom – relief
sculpture to left of Capistrankanzel, at southeast corner of apse (mild telephoto 56 mm).
10:51 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – relief sculpture of “Christ
in Gethsemane” on outside of apse.
From
the rear of the cathedral, the tour route continued to the southeast and into
the narrow Domgasse (meaning
cathedral alley) street.
Vienna: Domgasse - K+K
Domgasse store with blue street sign for Domgasse (By Dguendel - Own work, CC
BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53438845).
K + K
Domgasse
is a party shop located at Domgasse 2 behind the Stephansdom since 1948. K + K
stands for Kostüme + klamauK (Costumes and Ballyhoo).
10:54 AM – Vienna: Mozarthaus at Domgasse 5.
The Mozarthaus (Mozart House) at Domgasse 5 is the only one of his 14
addresses across Vienna that remains. It was a most desirable residence even in
Mozart’s time. He lived in this apartment in 1784-87. Those were his happiest
and most productive years, during which he composed countless chamber works and
his opera The Marriage of Figaro.
Here his career reached its peak, but the nightlife, especially gambling,
ruined him. Just four years later, he died a pauper.
10:55 AM – Vienna: sign for “Mozarthaus Vienna mit Wien
Museum Mozartwohnung” (Mozart House Vienna with Vienna Museum Mozart Residence)
at Domgasse 5.
Then
the route turned off Domgasse to the southwest and then on Singerstraße to the southeast.
10:58 AM (Cropped) – Vienna: building at Singerstraße 14
(photo taken just to record location).
10:58 AM – Vienna: Palais Neupauer-Bruener at
Singerstraße 16 – Baroque portal complex.
The Palais Neupauer-Bruener (Neupauer-Bruener Palace), at Singerstraße
16, was built in 1716/16. A building on this site was first mentioned in 1416.
In 1715, the three houses formerly occupying this site were bought by Johann
Christian Neupauer, chief chamberlain of the city of Vienna. He had them torn
down and erected a large palace on two of the lots. Contrary to previous
assumptions, it is known today that Neupauer was not a master builder and
therefore not the architect of the palace. The architect is unknown. After
Neupauer’s death in 1735, the owners changed several times. In 1869, it came
into possession of Count August Bruener-Enckevoirt. Although the palace
belonged to this family for only a relatively short time, the name Bruener has
been attached to it ever since. The building was badly damaged by bombing in
1945, but soon restored. Today, it houses several businesses and is in the
possession of the Metternich family.
Vienna: Palais
Neupauer-Bruener in 1725 engraving (Von Salomon Kleiner - [1], Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12256883).
After its recent renovation, the
palace is one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in Vienna. The richly
structured façade on Singerstraße features a slightly projecting five-axis
central risalit (sections) and two triaxial lateral risalites. The elaborate
portal complex in the center portion consists of an entrance gate and two
doors. Each of these entrances is flanked by herms (tapered rectangular stone
posts topped with a portrait bust). Above is a balcony, on the main floor,
decorated with groups of figures and stone vases. Above the balcony door is the
coat of arms of the Bruener family, carried by two putti (cherubs), in place of
the previous one of Johann Christian Neupauer. The sculpture on the right side
of the balcony is of the flight of Aeneas from Troy with the old Anchises on
his shoulders. The sculptures of the portal complex were damaged by war in 1945
and restored in 1970. Larger-than-life sculptures were originally mounted on
the roof above the central risalit, but they were removed during roof repairs
and not re-erected.
A risalit (from the Italian risalto, projection), also known as Avant Corps (French, before the [main] body), is a projecting part of a building, usually to the full height of the building. As a means of dividing a façade into sections, it is a typical design element of Renaissance and Baroque architecture (and the corresponding historicism). If the risalit is centered on the façade, it is called the central risalit. If it stands to one side or the other, it is a side or lateral risalit; on a corner, it is a corner risalit. There can be an entrance risalit over a door or a gate risalit, if a gate passes through the façade.
A risalit (from the Italian risalto, projection), also known as Avant Corps (French, before the [main] body), is a projecting part of a building, usually to the full height of the building. As a means of dividing a façade into sections, it is a typical design element of Renaissance and Baroque architecture (and the corresponding historicism). If the risalit is centered on the façade, it is called the central risalit. If it stands to one side or the other, it is a side or lateral risalit; on a corner, it is a corner risalit. There can be an entrance risalit over a door or a gate risalit, if a gate passes through the façade.
10:58 AM – Vienna: historical maker sign in German that
translates “Palais Neupauer-Bruener 1715-1716 erected by an unknown master
builder” (telephoto 119 mm).
10:58 AM – Vienna: another building on Singerstraße
(street sign) with ornate portal.
11:00 AM – Vienna: statue of Christ in front of the
Scourge Column on corner of Franciscan monastery on corner of Singerstraße and
Franziskanerplatz (mild telephoto 63 mm).
Singerstraße
led southeastward to the Franziskanerplatz with the Franziskanerkirche.
10:58 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – façade and Moses
Fountain in Franziskanerplatz in front (with construction).
Vienna: Franziskanerkirche –
façade and Moses Fountain in Franziskanerplatz in front (By Dennis Jarvis from
Halifax, Canada - Austria-00004 - Church of St. Jerome, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66915391).
The Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church), on Franziskanerplatz
(Franciscan Square), is also known as Klosterkirche heiliger Hieronymus (Cloister
Church of St. Jerome). The church is dedicated to St. Jerome. The first monastery
of the Franciscan Order in Vienna was built in 1451 but was destroyed in 1529.
In 1589, The city parish of Vienna transferred the Büßerinnenkloster (cloister
of female penitents), built in 1387 to house former prostitutes, but then
standing empty, to the Franciscans. When the Franciscans took over the cloister,
they included parts of the old building in the construction of the new church.
Thus it happened that it became the only church in Vienna with a Renaissance
façade, although it is still adorned with several Gothic elements. The
Renaissance gable façade is interrupted by three Gothic pointed windows grouped
around a large round window. The church was completed in 1607 (although the
interior was not completed until 1720), and the monastery was completed in
1630.
Vienna: Franziskanerkirche
and monastery in 1724 engraving (Von Salomon Kleiner -
https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010855209, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36637143).
The interior is a striking blend of
Gothic and northern Renaissance style, with numerous later Baroque features. In
the course of the restoration of the choir (apse), Grisaille paintings
(executed exclusively in gray, white, and black) were uncovered, which are a
unique document of early Baroque wall painting of high art-historical
significance and were previously unknown to exist in Vienna.
Vienna: Franciscan monastery
on street called Franziskanerplatz that leads to northeast from the actual
square (Von Veduten2011 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17999552).
North of the church, on the corner
of Singerstraße and Franziskanerplatz, is the Franciscan monastery. Rebuilt in 1614, it still has Gothic components in its
core. The façade has striking decoration with recessed circular fields.
In the Franziskanerplatz square is the
Mosesbrunnen (Moses Fountain). The
fountain first stood in the courtyard of a house at Franziskanerplatz 6 but was
transferred to its current place on the square in 1798, where the statue of
Moses (striking the rock with his staff to get water for the Israelites) was
added. The statue of Moses was made of lead and became damaged over time.
Therefore a mold was made from it toward the end of the 19th century, and it
was cast in bronze. During WWII, many bronze statues were dismantled as part of
the air raid measures, and there was concern that the statues would be melded
down. Fortunately, the statue of this fountain was preserved (according to https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Mosesbrunnen). However the
Wikimedia entry on Franziskanerkirche says the present statue is a copy, since
the original was melted down by the Nazis). Directly on the corner is a statue
of Christ in front of the column on which he was scourged.
11:02 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – portal with statue
of St. Jerome (mild telephoto 56 mm).
The late Baroque portal is topped with a statue of St.
Jerome, to whom the church is dedicated. In niches below two of the Gothic windows are statues of St. Francis
of Assisi and St. Anthony of Padua from 1742.
11:02 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – historical
marker sign in German that translates: “Franciscan Church St. Jerome 1603-1611 –
New Construction of the Church in Forms of the South German Renaissance Perhaps
by Father Bonaventura Daum” with street sign for Franziskanerplatz (mild
telephoto 32 mm).
11:03 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – view from rear
of nave to apse, with pulpit on left side of nave.
The church interior is a striking blend of Gothic and northern Renaissance style, with numerous later Baroque features. The high Baroque style is seen in buttresses and the stucco
ribs of the vaults, drawn between the chapels giving a Gothic impression. The
monks’ choir in the apse is completely separated from the nave by the high
(main) altar, according to the northern Italian model, and is accessible only
via the sacristy.
11:07 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – pulpit on left
side of nave.
Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – pulpit
on left side of nave (Von Ricardalovesmonuments - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69121792 Cropped).
The late Baroque pulpit is from
1726.
11:05 AM – Vienna: Franziskanerkirche – main altar.
Vienna: Franziskanerkirche –
main altar (Von Erich Schmid (talk) - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18537963).
The main altar was created in 1706/07. The front part is sculpted,
while the columns, architecture, dome, and clouds are painted on canvas. Above the
tabernacle is the late Gothic Gnadenstatue (Mercy Statue) of the Madonna (from Bohemia
around 1505). Protestants tried to destroy the statue during the Reformation.
When they tried to burn her, she resisted the fire. After trying in vain to
destroy her with an ax, the ax was left in Mary’s left shoulder and the statue
has ever since been revered as the “Madonna mit der Axt” (Madonna with the Ax).
Vienna: Franziskanerkirche –
Mercy Statue, Madonna with Ax on main altar (Von PictureObelix - Eigenes Werk,
CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21649818).
Although
the next stop on the Frommer’s tour was the Jesuitenkirche, Don came first to
the Dominikanerkirche on Postgasse (Post
Office Alley).
11:17 AM – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche – façade.
The Dominikanerkirche (Dominican Church), also known as the (Church of St. Mary Rotunda), is
an early Baroque parish church and minor basilica located at Postgasse 4. It is
the third church built on the same site. The first church, in Romanesque style,
was originally built in 1237 by the newly arrived Dominicans. It was enlarged
between 1240 and 1270 and a new choir (apse) was added in 1273. A series of
fires caused the construction of a new Gothic church between 1283 and 1302. The
nave was extended between 1458 and 1474, This church was heavily damaged during
the first siege of Vienna by the Turkish army in 1529. The choir was demolished,
the nave was partly taken down, and the material was used to strengthen the
city wall. However, the Counter-Reformation did not allow such a sorry state of
the church. In 1631, the Dominicans started to build a new oblong church with a
dome, introducing the Baroque style of Italy to Vienna. The church consecrated
in 1634, when the rough structural work was completed, and the finishing
touches were given in 1674. The church was elevated to the status of a minor
basilica in 1927 under the name “Rosary Basilica ad S. Mariam Rotundam.”
Vienna: Dominikanerkirche –
façade (By Thomas Ledl - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28719844).
The impressive façade was built in the Roman-Lombardic style with dominant
columns, supporting the cornice. Its architecture goes back to early Baroque
churches in Rome. Above the portal is a statue of St. Mary of the Rosary, the
patron saint of this church, with statues of St. Catherine of Siena and St.
Agnes of Montepulciana, kneeling to the sides of it. On the ground floor, on both
sides of the portal are niches with statues of two other famous Dominicans: Ludwig
Bertrand (Luis Beltrán) on the left and St. Rose of Lima on the right. In
niches on the upper floor are Hyacinth of Poland (founder of the Dominican
Order in Poland) and St. Vincent Ferrer (a Spanish Dominican). On the corners
of the upper floor are statues of the most important Dominican scholars,
Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. On top of the façade is a large rectangular
gable with a dormer window, crowned by triangular pediment.
11:17 AM (Cropped) – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche –
historical marker sign in German that translates: “Dominican Church – Minor
Basilica St. Mariam Rotondam – 1631-1634 – under the Construction Leadership of
Jakob Spatz Cipriano and Antonio Canevale.”
11:18 AM – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche – view from rear of
nave to main altar in apse, with pulpit on left and part of ceiling frescoes.
The ornate interior is imposing in its architecture and the exquisite stucco
in the decorations. The church consists of a long central nave, flanked by
three side chapels on each side, a transept, a choir, and an apse.
11:19 AM – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche – pulpit on left
side of nave.
The gilded pulpit dates from around 1700. The antependium (decorative piece on
the lower front) shows a blue globe surrounded by a rosary and below, in the
medallion, the motto “toto diffunditur orbe” (spread all over the world). On
the canopy of the pulpit, the Holy Spirit, represented in the form of a dove,
is surrounded by a halo of light and angels in elegant poses.
11:20 AM – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche – main altar,
illuminated.
The main altar in the apse is dominated by the imposing red-marbled
wooden altarpiece in Baroque style from 1839-40. It surrounds a large canvas,
from 1840, depicting the establishment by Pope Pius V of the Feast of the
Rosary, flanked by red Corinthian columns.
In 1675, the apse around the main altar was decorated with two historic paintings
of Christian victories ascribed to the power of the rosary: The Battle of Muret
(1213) and the Battle of Lepanto (1571).
11:21 AM – Vienna: Dominikanerkirche – ceiling with
frescoes.
Semi-circular windows allow soft
light on the early Baroque frescoes of
the vaulted ceiling. The ceiling frescoes from 1675 depict 46 scenes from
the life of Our Lady (Mary). The three main paintings are “Vermählung Mariens”
(Marriage of Mary), “Braut des Heiligen Geistes” (Bride of the Holy Spirit), and
“Mariä Opferung” (Mary’s Sacrifice).
From
the Dominikanerkirche, Don continued on Postgasse,
looking for the Jesuitenkirche, which was the next stop on the Frommer’s tour.
11:24 AM – Vienna: building with street sign for
Postgasse (mild telephoto 81 mm).
While
still on the Postgasse, Don came to the Griechisch-Katholische
Kirche St. Barbara, which was not open.
11:24 AM – Vienna: historical marker sign in German and
English for “Griechisch-Katholische Kirche St. Barbara – St. Barbara Greek
Catholic Church – Built 1652-1654 – Early historical façade of 1852” (telephoto
187 mm).
11:25 AM – Vienna: St. Barbara Greek Catholic Church – façade.
The Griechisch-Katholische Kirche St. Barbara (St. Barbara Greek
Catholic Church), also known simply as Barbarakirche, is located at Postgasse 8.
It is the main church of the Greek Catholic Church in Austria, as well as a
parish church of the Ukrainian Uniate Church, a German-speaking Greek Catholic
community and central parish church for the other Byzantine faithful of
Austria. A chapel dedicated to St. Barbara was first mentioned in 1573, as part
of the Vienna Jesuit Convent. In 1652-54, the convent and chapel were converted
into the Baroque style. In 1775, after the abolition of the Jesuit order in
1773, Empress Maria Theresia donated the building to serve as a seminary for
training priests for the Greek Catholic Church in countries under the Habsburg
monarchy. In 1784, the seminary was dissolved, and this became the first
Unified Ukrainian parish outside the Ukraine. In 1842, there were plans to
demolish the church in order to build a new main post office in its place, but
it was finally decided to integrate the church into the new post office
building and give it a new façade. In 1945, the church was heavily damaged by a
bombing raid. After the war, it was renovated by the Post Office
Administration, to which the building belonged, at no cost to the parish.
The Barbarakirche is an early
Baroque pilaster church with a remarkable early historicist façade from 1852. It
has a round-arched gable with a turret at the top and a canopy portal on stone
pillars. In the tympanum is a modern mosaic of St. Barbara from 1956. In the
upper part of the façade are niches with statues of St. Basil and St. Barbara.
The interior is uniformly in Rococo style.
The architectural term historicism
refers to a phenomenon in which one resorted to older styles and partially
combined them. Stylistic subcategories are, among others, the Renaissance Revival,
Gothic Revival, Neo-Renaissance, and Neo-Baroque. Such styles were widespread
from about 1850 up until WWI. However, even later, historical motifs had an
effect (such as neoclassicism). Modern historicist buildings are also called
neo-historicist.
Somehow,
Don got off the route of the Frommer’s tour and totally missed the Jesuitenkirche, since there were many
small streets not shown on the map in the guidebook.
Vienna: Jesuitenkirche –
façade (By Bwag - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70958178).
The Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church), also known as Universitätskirche
(University Church), on Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz was built in 1627. It is one of
the finest Baroque churches, decked in a profusion of pink granite and gilt.
The interior was remodeled in the early 18th century by an Italian tromp-l’oeil artist, adding its
impressive frescoes and a false “dome” on a flat part of the ceiling. This
illusion can be appreciated by standing in the nave on a spot marked with a
white stone.
Having
missed the Jesuitenkirche, Don eventually found a street shown on the map in
the guidebook and managed to head toward the Ruprechtskirche, the next stop on
the Frommer’s tour.
However,
probably on the Fleischmarkt street, Don first came to the Kornhäuselturm.
11:34 AM – Vienna: historical marker sign in German that
translates: “Kornhäuselturm 1825-1827 Built by Joseph Kornhäusel.”
Vienna: Kornhäuselturm (Von
Invisigoth67 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7409099).
The Kornhäuselturm (Kornhäusel Tower), at Seitenstettengasse 2, was
built in 1825-27 to a design by the Austrian architect Joseph Kornhäusel. At
the time of its construction, it was the highest secular tower in Vienna, over
35 meters tall. The nine-story tower was Vienna’s oldest skyscraper. It was
partially surrounded by the tenement house at Seitenstettengasse 2. The neighboring
Stadttempel (City Temple), at Seitenstettengasse 4, also designed by Joseph
Kornhäusel, was built in 1825-26 in the neoclassical style; it is the main
synagogue of Vienna. Since the tower was originally surrounded on all sides by
other buildings and had no street-side entrance, access was via the staircase
of the adjacent building. The tower served as an apartment and studio for
Kornhäusel. The prominent Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter lived here in 1842-48.
The simple façade of the tower with its few, relatively small windows is in
need of renovation today. The southern side, located on Fleischmarkt now stands
free, because the adjoining three-story buildings no longer exist. It is on
this façade that the Vienna Tourist Board has posted a historical marker sign.
11:34 AM – Vienna: Kornhäuselturm with historical marker
sign at base.
Then
Don came to the Ruprechtskirche.
11:35 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche - tower and south
side.
The Ruprechtskirche (St. Rupert’s Church) on Ruprechtsplatz is a simple
ivy-clad Romanesque church—traditionally considered Vienna’s oldest. (There is
currently some debate about whether this is truly the oldest, due to
discoveries of old foundations under the Peterskirche and old graves under the
Stephansdom.) According to legend, the Ruprechtskirche was founded by Cunald
and Gisalrich, companions of St. Rupert during the time he was bishop of
Salzburg (i.e., prior to 710). Other versions of the legend say around 1740. However,
because Salzburg had influence over religious matters in Vienna between 796 and
829, it is more probable that the church was founded during that period. At any
rate, it is the oldest church in Vienna that still exists in something
resembling its original form. The first historical documentation was in 1200;
that document called it the “oldest church in Vienna.” The church has been
rebuilt and altered many times. The oldest surviving walls date back to the
early 12th century (the walls of the nave and the lower tower with Romanesque
double windows). In 1276, it was damaged by fire and modified. The tower gained
one story, and a new polygonal apse was built in Gothic style in the 13th
century. The Gothic right aisle (southern nave), pierced by three
pointed-arched arcades, was added in the 14th or 15th century. In 1622, it was redecorated
in Baroque style.
The church is set in a quiet,
cobbled square off the beaten tourist track. It is located in one of the oldest
parts of the city, the section of the Roman settlement Vindobona. After
destruction of the Roman settlement, the inner city grew in the area near the
church, which was the seat of the religious administration before that function
was transferred to the Stephansdom in 1147. During the Middle Ages, a house
attached to the tower of the church was also the seat of the Salzamt (Salt
Office), which distributed salt to individual buyers and ensured its quality.
That house, which had also served as a prison, was demolished in 1832.
It is dedicated to St. Rupert of
Salzburg (ca. 660-710), the first Bishop of Salzburg and the patron saint of
salt merchants, who brought their salt to Vienna by boat and docked on the
jetty on the Danube Canal near the church. Salt barges would once have passed
by this church on the banks of the Danube. A statue of St. Rupert, clutching a
barrel of salt, can be found half-hidden among bushes behind the church.
11:35 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – historical marker
sign near entrance on south side, with German text that translates:
“Ruprechtskirche – Oldest Church of Vienna – Nave and lower stories of tower from the 11th century” (mild
telephoto 72 mm).
11:37 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – statue of St.
Rupert holding salt barrel. Behind bushes on exterior rear of church (Don only
found this because of note in Frommer’s guidebook).
11:37 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche - north side and
tower.
11:38 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – view from rear of
nave to apse, with stained glass windows.
The ancient stained glass windows (the oldest dating from around 1370 are in
the center of the apse) bathe the interior in strongly colored light in the
morning hours.
11:39 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – reliquary of St.
Vitalis.
Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – reliquary
of St. Vitalis (Von Thomas Ledl - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49456950).
St.
Vitus of Milan
(1st or 2nd century) was a wealthy citizen of Milan, perhaps a soldier. He was
married to St. Valeria and had two sons, all three of whom also became martyrs.
According to legend, when he encouraged St. Ursicinus of Ravenna to be
steadfast at his execution, Vitalis was discovered to be a Christian.
Therefore, he was tortured on the rack and then buried alive in Ravenna.
(According to https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/st-vitalis.html, the relics of
this saint are deposited in the San Vitale church in Ravenna, built upon the
place of his martyrdom.)
11:38 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – sign at rear of
nave, in German (hard to read in photo) about “Der Katakombenheilige in St.
Ruprecht” (The Catacomb Saint in St. Ruprecht) with text that translates [where
barely legible]:
“The
saint, in a Baroque wooden sarcophagus protected with glass front, with a
skeleton clothed in Baroque linen with [illegible] lantern (sign of martyrdom).
“In
front of the figure lies a small flask with the inscription SANGUS (blood) St.
Ruprecht. The saint is a gift of Pope Clement XIII ([1767?]) to Empress Maria
Theresia, who further donated it to St. Ruprecht.
“It
is known to us as Saint Vitalis and
perhaps it came to us because of the similarity of names with the successor of
Saint Ruprecht. The bones come from the catacombs in Rome and were completed
with body parts of wax.
“The
catacomb saint is supposed to have been a martyr of early Christianity. A Roman
soldier, who had to experience the martyr’s death for his solidarity with the
persecuted Christians. He was father of [two?] sons and also his wife Valeria
is honored as a martyr.”
“Feast
Day 28 April
“The
Saint Vitalis
“A
Baroque reliquary in the Ruprechtskirche
“Located
on the north wall of the church, under the choir loft, is the sarcophagus of
St. Vitalis. The reliquary was given to the church in 1765 by the Empress Maria
Theresia. It comes from a martyr from the Roman catacombs.
“Some
have made a connection between the Vitalis buried here with St. Vitalis of
Salzburg, the successor of St. Ruprecht as bishop of Salzburg, However, the
bones of the latter rest in the Peterskirche in Salzburg. The skeleton of the
saint from the catacombs is dressed in Baroque style, missing parts were
completed with wax. Originally, his shrine was located in front of the main
altar of the church and were not moved here until 1935.
The
resting place of the martyr fits the parish of St. Ruprecht – not least
because, while during the Second World War, very near the Ruprechtskirche, on
Morzinplatz, was the headquarters of the Gestapo – as a memorial for all the
people who, because of their persuasion, their origin or their beliefs, were
victims of persecution.”
A relic of the sarcophagus of St.
Vitalis is located in the church, containing the remains of a claimed Christian
victim from the Roman catacombs. The bones of the saint were donated to the
Ruprechtskirche by Empress Maria Theresia.
Other sources (mistakenly) identify
this as the reliquary of St. Vitalis, the successor of St. Ruprecht as bishop
of Salzburg. There have been eight saints named Vitalis. One of them, St.
Vitalis of Salzburg (died 728) was the second bishop of Salzburg (710-728).
However, his body is known to be in the Peterskirche in Salzburg, where St.
Ruprecht is also buried.
11:40 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – Black Madonna in
small chapel at rear of left (south) nave.
Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – Black Madonna (Von 1971markus - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69758511).
11:41 AM – Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – relief statue of
St. Ruprecht holding a barrel of salt and his bishop’s crosier, at rear of
nave.
Vienna: Ruprechtskirche – relief statue of St. Ruprecht holding a barrel of
salt and his bishop’s crosier, on back wall (Von Thomas Ledl - Eigenes Werk, CC
BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49456937).
From the Ruprechtskirche, the Frommer’s tour route led via the Judengasse (Jews Alley) to the Hoher Markt.
The Hoher Markt (High Market) square was the site of a medieval fish
market. On one side of the square is the splendid Jugendstil mechanical clock
known as the Ankeruhr (Anker Clock). Every hour on the hour, historical figures
parade across the golden clock face, including Marcus Aurelius, Duke Rudolf IV,
and Joseph Hayden. At noon, all the figures emerge. Beneath the square, the
city’s best preserved Roman remains are displayed in the small Römermuseum
(Roman Museum), where the Roman legionnaires’ fortress of Vindobona stood
nearly 2,000 years ago.
1:44 AM – Vienna: street signs at the corner of
Judengasse and Hoher Markt, with sign for “Joma.”
Joma
Café Brasserie Bar
is located at Hoher Markt 10. It is in the Lebensversicherung Helvetia
insurance company building, at the left corner of the façade, while the Anker
Clock is at the right corner.
11:44 AM – Vienna: Vermählungsbrunnen on Hoher Markt.
Vienna: Vermählungsbrunnen on
Hoher Markt, with better view of three central figures (Von Bwag - Eigenes
Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43336307). The Helvetia
insurance building with red canopy of the Joma café is in the background at
right.
In the middle of the Hoher Markt
square is the 18.5-meter-tall Vermählungsbrunnen
(Marriage or Wedding Fountain), also known as Josefsbrunnen (Joseph’s
Fountain).
The monument goes back to a vow by
Emperor Leopold I (1640-1705, reign 1658-1705) erect a monument to commemorate
the safe return of his son Josef from war (1702, at the outbreak of the War of
Spanish Succession). However, construction did not begin until after Leopold’s
death in 1705. It was actually built, according to his father’s wishes, in 1706
by Josef (1678-1711), who succeeded his father as Holy Roman Emperor Josef I (reign
1705-11). He initially made a wooden monument that was not a fountain but a
pillar and was called the Josefsäule
(Joseph Column). The appearance of this pillar is shown in copperplate
engravings handed down from 1706 and 1717. Like its later replacement, it was dedicated
to the marriage of Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus. Atop the pedestal
were life-size statues of Mary, Joseph, and the High Priest, as well as six
Corinthian columns crowned at the top by a cloud with the symbol of the
Trinity. On the pedestal was a Latin inscription that translated: “To the
spouse of Mary, from whom Jesus was born, the protector of Austria, praised by
Leopold the Great, built by Josef I, Roman Emperor, forever imperial, 1706.” That
original monument replaced the gallows and pillory that had previously been on
this site. Some sources say that this was a provisional monument intended as a
wooden model for a more permanent version.
Some sources say that Leopold I commissioned the monument to commemorate
the return of his son Josef from war “and his subsequent marriage to Mary” [?].
Josef married Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1699. They had three
children, and their only son died before his first birthday. Josef had a
passion for love affairs (none of which resulted in illegitimate children) and
caught a sexually transmitted disease that he passed on to his wife, rendering
her sterile. When Josef died without a male heir, he was succeeded by his
brother Charles VI (reign 1711-40), and then by Charles VII (reign 1742-45),
who married Josef’s daughter their daughter Maria Amalia.
In 1725, when wind and weather had
left the wooden monument in poor condition, Josef’s successor, Emperor Charles
VI, decided to demolish it and replace it with a Baroque temple.
Vienna: Vermählungsbrunnen -
three central figures and inscription (Von Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70345197).
The new fountain, now called the Vermählungsbrunnen, in marble and bronze, was built between 1729 and 1732. The Baroque-style fountain has an allegorical composition of statues made of white marble. In the center are sculptural group of three larger-than-life-size marble statues: the biblical Mary (pregnant) and Joseph (with a blooming staff), touching hands, and the High Priest on higher step overlooking them and giving his blessing to the union with his raised right hand. The four white marble Corinthian columns support a decorative bronze crown-like canopy decorated with ornamental and plant motifs and crowned by a bronze cluster of flower garlands, mussels, and angel heads under a sunburst with a dove (representing the Holy Spirit). Four larger-than-life-size angelic figures are on projections at the bases of the columns, seeming to proclaim the news of the marriage to the world; three of them hold roses, and one holds a wedding ring. The pedestal shows reliefs in white marble on three sides: Adoration of the Shepherds, Adoration of the Magi, and Presentation in the Temple. On the fourth side is a Latin inscription that translates: “This memorial, dedicated to St. Joseph from David’s tribe, the spouse of the Mother of God and Virgin, the nourisher of Christ the Savior, the ubiquitous protector of Austria, praised by the emperors Leopold and Joseph, Charles VI, Roman Emperor and King of Spain, overshadowed by the father and brother, has executed by construction as a work in solid bronze and marble. Under the supervision of the chief imperial building prefect Gundaker Count of Althann in the year 1732.” Around the base of the pedestal, on the north and south sides, two round pools with fountains were added. Therefore, this monument dedicated to the marriage of Mary and Joseph became known as the Vermählungsbrunnen (Wedding or Marriage Fountain). Because of its wooden predecessor, it is sometimes called the Josefsbrunnen (Joseph’s Fountain).
11:44 AM – Vienna: other side of Vermählungsbrunnen on
Hoher Markt.
Also on the Hoher Markt was the Anker Clock.
The Ankeruhr (Anker Clock) is a large mechanical clock on a bridge-like
connection between two parts of the building of the Helvetia-Versicherung
(previously Lebens- und Rentenversicherungs-Gesellschaft “Der Anker” [Life and
Pension Insurance Company “The Anchor”) at Hoher Markt 10-11 and Ankerhof 12.
The clock spans the alley-like Bauernmarkt (Farmers Market) off the Hoher Markt
(High Market) square. The clock is considered one of the most outstanding works
of the Jugendstil and is a popular tourist attraction. In 1911, the insurance
company “Der Anker” developed a plan to build a large public clock at its
headquarters in the Ankerhof (Anker Courtyard). The insurance company moved
into the building in 1914, but the completion of the clock was delayed due to
the beginning of WWI. Construction was completed in 1915 and had two trial
runs. However, since it had been decided to define it as a “clock of peace,” it
was not put into full operation until after the war (1918).
The “clock bridge” has a span of 10
m and a height of 7.5 m; the clock itself has a diameter of 4 m. The bridge is
supported by four sculptural consoles, representing Adam and Eve at the front
and angels and devils on the back. Above the clock is a solar disk, flanked by
a child with a butterfly, as an allegory of life, and a skeleton with an
hourglass, symbolizing death—a symbolism important to an insurance company. The
clock is designed as a linear clock on which a Roman numeral for the hour and a
historical figure (sometimes a royal couple) slide across a scale for the
minutes of one hour by means of a chain drive and is then replaced by the
numeral and figure for the next hour. The historical figures, which appear in
chronological order as they parade across the golden clock face, include the
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Charlemagne, Empress Maria Theresia, and Joseph
Hayden. At noon, all 12 groups of figures emerge with musical accompaniment.
The background of the clock face is a mosaic of glass, metal, and marble, in
the middle of which is the old coat of arms of the city of Vienna with two
double eagles of Austria and two white crosses on a red field. These are
surrounded by 12 other escutcheons as symbols for science, art, love, music,
theater, industry, commerce, and Viennese cuisine, among others.
11:46 AM – Vienna: Judengasse approaching Hoher Markt –
back of Anker Clock (mild telephoto 38 mm).
On the back of the “clock bridge”
is a conventional clock as well as the words “Der Anker” and the date 1914 in
Roman numerals.
Then Don went back to the Stephansplatz to catch the Metro back toward the Viking Bragi.
11:50 AM – Vienna: Stephansdom – short (north) tower,
north side of nave, and façade, with top of south tower visible over the tile
roof (Don needed to include the overhang at top left in order to block the
sun).
At 6:30 pm, the crew of the Viking Bragi hosted the passengers for a Farewell Cocktail Party in the ship’s lounge with “a farewell toast to celebrate your Viking journey, new friends and memories made.” This was followed by the Port Talk, at which Program Director Joey outlined the next day’s events, including the bus trip to Budapest. Then, at 7 pm, we went to our last dinner in the ship’s restaurant.
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