St. Stephen's Cathedral (or Domkirche) is one of the most significant buildings of the Gothic period and situated at the heart of Vienna. It is also the most important religious building in the city and the seat of the Archbishop. The Church is named after Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christianity who was stoned to death (c. A.D. 34–35). The 136-meters high steeple is one of the most recognizable symbols of Vienna.
More than 900 years ago on the current position of St. Stephen's Cathedral was a Romanesque church, which expanded to a larger Romanesque basilica in 1147 AD. A great fire in 1258 destroyed much of the original building and the towers were all that survived. Just five years later in 1263, a larger replacement structure in Gothic was constructed over the ruins of the basilica, and the two surviving towers from the burned-out church were incorporated in the new building. King Albert I, began the expansion of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in 1304. His grandson, Rudolf IV the Founder, continued with another expansion in 1359, which brought the church to its current size. Work continued throughout the 14th and 15th century. The south tower was completed in 1433 but construction of the north tower was abandoned when major work on the cathedral ceased in 1511.
St. Stephen's Cathedral has suffered numerous damages from devastating wars since 17th century. The last one took place during the last days of the Second World War, when fire from street fighting leaped to the rooftop in 1945. The cathedral was severely damaged. The roof burnt down, the vaults of the middle choir and the southern side gate collapsed. The bell Pummerin fell to the ground and burst. After reconstruction, the cathedral was reopened in 1948. The roof was repaired and decorated with ceramic tiles donated by Viennese citizens in 1950.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
The name of the main entrance to the church on west facade of the cathedral, facing Stephansplatz is “The Giant’s Gate” (Riesentor) which is an arch decorated with delicate reliefs and an image of Christ flanked by two winged angels.
On the left and right of the Giant’s Gate are the two Roman Towers, or Heidentürme (Pagan towers), that each stand at approximately 66 meters tall. The reason for choosing such name is because they were constructed from the materials of Roman buildings. The Roman Towers, together with the Giant's Door, are the only surviving part of the 13th century Romanesque church.
The tall Gothic steeple called South Tower (German: Der Südturm), with a height of 136.44 meter, dominates the city's skyline. It was originally built between 1350 and 1433, and reconstructed after heavy damage in World War II. A spiral staircase, leads to the top of the tower and a view of the city.
In 1450, during the reign of Emperor Frederick III., the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the North Tower, but it was never finished to match its partner. The construction was stopped in 1511 and the great idea reached its end. In 1578 the tower was completed by a renaissance cap, referred to as the "water tower top" by the Viennese. The tower is now 68 meters high, roughly half the height of the south tower.
It is also pleasant to reach the top of the North Tower by elevator and have a panoramic view of the city and the Danube as well as the colorful tiled roof of the cathedral and the Pummerin bell.
Pummerin bell
St. Stephen's Cathedral has 23 bells in total. The largest one hangs in the north tower and is called Pummerin. It is a 21.383 kg bell, the largest in Austria and the second largest swinging bell in Europe. Originally cast in 1711 from cannons captured from the Turkish invaders, it was recast in 1951 after it fell down on the floor in the 1945 fire. It sounds on only a few special occasions each year, for example the Year-End Prayer and arrival of the New Year. In this tower are three older bells that are no longer used.
Roof
The roof of the cathedral is decorated with 230,000 glazed colorful tiles. On the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the Holy Roman Empire, and the coats of arms of Vienna and Austria are depicted on the north side.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
Outside walls
All around the walls of the churchis full of art works, reliefs and sculptures depicting various scenes of the life of Jesus Christ as well as other religious and historical events.
Pulpit of John Capistrano in outside corner of the northchoir is the pulpit from which St. John Capistrano preached a Crusade against the invading Turks in 1454. He was sent by Pope Callixtus III to gather together enough troops to march onto Belgrade, which at that time was under siege by Turkish forces. This pulpit was the cathedral's main pulpit inside until 1515.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
Relief of “Christ in Gethsemane” is another art work on the walls of the cathedral. Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
A figure of Christ known to the Viennese as "Christ with a toothache" (German: Zahnwehherrgott) is represented in St. Stephen cathedral twice: The original one is located on the west wall of the North Tower Hall, and a copy of it on the outside walls. Legend has it that the so-called "Zahnwehherrgott", was mocked by young, drunken men, because of suffering expression of his face. They ridiculed him because in their view, the figure had an intense toothache. So they tied a cloth around his head. Soon after, severe pain in their teeth started and made them go back for apology.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
During the middle Ages, major cities had their own set of measures for verifying the measure of different types of cloth sold. The official Viennese ell length standards are two iron bars, embedded on the left side of the main entrance. The "linen ell" and the "drapery ell" are 89,6 cm and 77,6 cm respectively. The ratio between the linen and the drapery ell is exactly {sqrt(3)/2}=0.8660.
Interior
The great masterworks of the church, woodcarvings, altars, paintings and wonderful sculptures, has turned the St. Stephen's Cathedral to one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. The 108 meters-long central nave of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral is packed with many interesting things to see and important artworks.
The High Altar (built from 1641 to 1647 in Baroque style) represents the stoning of the church's patron St. Stephen. The marble and stone altar shows statues of four saints, surmounted with a statue of St. Mary which draws the beholder's eye to a glimpse of heaven, where Christ waits for Stephen to ascend from below.The central painting shows the martyrdom of St.Stephen.
One of the greatest treasures of the cathedral is the carved wooden Wiener Neustadt altar-piece, which was ordered in 1447 by Emperor Frederick III. The richly painted and gilded altar is located In the Virgin's Choir, to the left of the High Altar. The four panels of the winged altar-piece are closed on weekdays and display a painted scene of a number of saints. On Sundays, the panels are opened, showing gilded wooden figures depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary.
Pulpit
The stone pulpit of St. Stephan's cathedral is the enduring masterwork of sculptor, Anton Pilgrim. The pulpit stands against a pillar out in the nave, so that the sermon could be better heard by the worshipers in the past. The stone pulpit (built from 1514 to 1515) depicts the images of four prominent characters of Christianity: St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome. The handrail of the stairway is beautifully covered by interesting symbols: lizards and toads in front of each other, symbolizing the fight of light against darkness.
Beneath the stairs is one of the most beloved symbols of the cathedral. A rare self-portraitof the artist (Anton Pilgram) looking out of a window with his sculptor's compass. This piece of the artwork is known as Fenstergucker in German and marks the transition point into the Renaissance, when artists began to be famous instead of anonymous. Another self-portrait of the artist is on the wall of the north tower near the elevator to the Pumerin.
Chapel of the Cross
This chapel in the northwest corner, contains the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy, commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). It is also where the funeral of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the well-known Austrian composer, was held on 6 December 1791. He was also married here. A memorial tablet on the north wall outside, gives a detailed account of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's relationship with the cathedral as a music director shortly before his death.
Maria Pötsch Icon
The Maria Pötsch Icon is a Byzantine style icon, portraying the St. Mary with the child Jesus. The icon takes its name from a Hungarian church, Máriapócs, from where it was transferred to Vienna.
The impressive tomb of theHoly Roman Emperor Frederick III is located in the Apostles' Choir, right side of the High Altar. The tomb designed by Nicolaus Gerhaert between 1467 and 1513, of the red marble-like stone found at the Adnet quarry in Salzburg. The body of the tomb is decorated with hundreds of statues and 32 coats of arms. The carved tomb depicts a hideous creature trying to wake up the emperor from his eternal sleep.
Tombs, Catacombs and Crypts
The basement of the cathedral also hosts the Bishops and Ducal crypts and the so-called catacombs as well. Bones of thousands of locals are stocked in the catacombs from cemeteries around the cathedral. The Ducal Crypt located under the chancel, holds 78 bronze containers with the bodies, hearts, and other internal organs of 72 members of the Habsburgfamily (one of the most important royal houses of Europe).
Text Sources: wikipedia.org and stephanskirche.at
