The Augustinian Church (german: link=no, Augustinerkirche) in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

is a parish church located on Josefsplatz, next to the Hofburg, the winter palace of the Habsburg dynasty in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Originally built in the 14th century as the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, the harmonious

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

interior was added in the 18th century. The official name of church and parish is St. Augustin, but it is locally called ''Augustinerkirche''.

History

In 1327, Duke Frederick ''the Handsome'' (''Friedrich der Schöne'') founded this church with a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

for the Augustinian

friars A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...

. In 1634, the Augustinerkirche became the parish church of the imperial church. As imperial church, many Habsburg weddings took place there, including the wedding of Archduchess (and future Empress) Maria Theresa in 1736 to Duke

Francis of Lorraine Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the ruler of the Holy ...

, the wedding of Archduchess Marie Louise in 1810 to Emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

of France, Maria Leopoldina in 1817 to Dom Pedro of Portugal, and the wedding of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1854 to

Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

. A functioning monastery of six black-robed Augustinian monks remains, serving the needs of the parish.

Exterior

The

church is 85 m (278.9 ft) long and 20 m (65.6 ft) wide. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

is 11 m (36.1 ft) wide.Estimated specifications from satellite images provided by Google Earth

Interior

The

was built under architect Dietrich Landtner from 1330 to 1339, but not consecrated until 1 November 1349. As the nearby Hofburg expanded, the Augustinerkirche gradually became engulfed by it and today is a part of the complex. Although inconspicuous from the outside, the inside is more ornate. During the reign of Emperor Joseph II, 18 side altars were removed in 1784 when the church was restored in the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style. A new side altar was added in 2004, dedicated to Emperor Karl I of Austria (1887–1922) who is on the path to being recognized as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

by the Roman Catholic Church. The pulpit was designed by Hofarchitekt Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg in 1784/85 when the church was returned to its original Gothic style. Felix Czeike: Wien. Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte der Donaumetropole, DuMont Reiseverlag, 1999, It is an early example of Gothic Revivalism in Central Europe. The white and gold wooden structure is placed on a column with a foliated Gothic capital. The balustrade and the rear wall is decorated with simple blind tracery. The abat-voix forms a canopy with the usual symbol of the dove and a statue of Saint Paul (?) on the top. A painting of the interior by

Martin van Meytens Martin van Meytens (24 June 1695 – 23 March 1770) was a Swedish-Austrian painter who painted members of the Royal Court of Austria such as Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa of Austria, Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, the Emperor's family and me ...

from 1760 shows another simple, rectangular pulpit with the statue of the Madonna on the top.

Chapels

The Loreto Chapel, to the right of the main altar, holds the silver urns containing the hearts of Habsburg rulers, while their bodies are kept in the Imperial Crypt. Herzgruft contains the hearts of 54 members of the imperial family.

Cenotaph of Maria Christina

Notable among the church's monuments is the memorial to Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria sculpted by

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cla ...

, in 1805.

Sacred music

Composer

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

conducted his Mass in F major there, and Anton Bruckner's Mass in F minor was written for the church and was first performed there. In the 21st century, the church is known to host high quality sacred music concerts, particularly for its weekly Sunday High mass with full orchestra and choir. The church has two organs.

Gallery

File:Interior of Augustinian Church, Vienna.jpg, Interior File:Interior of Augustinian Church, Vienna 3.jpg, Altar File:Augustinerkirche Orgel.JPG, Rieger Organ File:Bach-Orgel Augustinerkirche (Wien).jpg, Bach Organ File:Wien Hofburg Augustinerkirche ed 2009 PD 20091007 005.jpg, Chandeliers File:Wien Augustinerkirche Altar Karl I.jpg, Side altar with painting of Emperor Karl I File:Augustiner pulpit.jpg, The pulpit

Cenotaph for Archduchess Maria Christina

File:Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen 9.jpg File:Antonio Canova Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina Augustinerkirche (Wien) panoramic sculpture Austria 2014 photo Paolo Villa August FOTO8412 - FOTO8425auto.jpg File:Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen.jpg File:Wien Hofburg Augustinerkirche ed 2009 PD 20091007 007.jpg File:Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen 5.jpg File:Cenotaph of Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen 2.jpg File:Wien Augustinerkirche Kenotaph Maria Christina 5.jpg

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * *

External links

* *
Official website
{{Authority control Churches completed in 1349 Roman Catholic church buildings in the Vicariate of Vienna City 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Austria Augustinian monasteries in Austria Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt Gothic architecture in Austria Augustinian churches