Tourist attractions in Vienna : Kaiserjubiläumskirche

St. Francis of Assisi Church, also known as the Kaiser Jubilee Church (Kaiserjubiläumskirche) аnd the Mexico Church is a Basilica-style Catholic church located on the Mexikoplatz in second district of Vienna. Built between 1898 and 1910, it was consecrated in 1913.

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The construction of the church celebrated the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. A competition was held to select the design and was won by architect Victor Luntz. The four-bay, basilica-like brick building was intended as a garrison church; designed in the Rhenish-Romanesque style. The church is directly situated near the Danube and its three red-tiled towers are visible several kilometers away.

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It is good to know that the square, formerly known as Erzherzog-Karl-Platz (Archduke-Karl-Square), was named Mexikoplatz in 1956 to commemorate the fact that Mexico was the only country outside the Soviet Union to protest against the annexation (Anschluss ) of Austria to Nazi Germany in March 1938.
 

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The Art Nouveau-style Elisabethkapelle (Elizabeth Chapel) is located on the left of the church next to the choir. It is 13.5 meters high and 10 meters wide. In 1898, the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni assassinated the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I , Empress Elisabeth of Austria (commonly referred to as Sisi). 
 

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Photo by dugspr — Home for Good

Photo by dugspr — Home for Good

Photo by RosenHolz219

To commemorate her, the Elisabethkapelle was established. It was financed through donations from the Red Cross, as Empress Elisabeth was the first Protector of the Red Cross. Because of the Red Cross' large donation of 348,348 crowns, the chapel was decorated with gold mosaics rather than frescoes, and the walls were covered in marble rather than stucco. The mosaics were designed by Secession artist Carl Ederer. On the vault of the chancel there is a large mosaic of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. The chapel was completed in 1907 and consecrated on 10 June 1908.


Text Source: wikipedia.org