Church Day

Wednesday, August 4

It is amazing that so many churches can be crammed into one district in one city and its seems that Diane and I visited them all today.  We first started out with the most iconic building in Vienna--the St. Stephen's Cathedral.  This Cathedral is considered by all Viennese to be the heart of the city.  It was established in 1304 by Albrecht I, and Rudolf IV during his short but influential seven years reign began work on the iconic South Tower in 1359.  This reign ended with his death in 1365 when he was only twenty-six years old.  This, among other accomplishments, earned him the name of “The Founder.”  This title demonstrates his great influence on early Vienna.  One of his other great foundational accomplishments was the establishment of the Alma Mater Rudolphina, which is today known as the University of Vienna.  Since we are going on a tour of St. Stephen's with our class later, we decided only to tour the outside of this imposing structure.  Then we decided to climb the South Tower.  It is the highest point on this side of the Danube.  It took 343 steps to reach the top but we were rewarded with amazing views of the city, a gift shop, and the satisfaction that we had made it to the top. 

The next church we visited was Peterskirche or St. Peter's.  The exterior of the church is a simple Baroque structure but when one enters, they are completely taken aback by the ornate beauty of its interior.  St. Peter's is renowned as the most ornate of the Baroque churches in Vienna and it certainly lives up to this reputation.  Along with the beautiful interior were many saints' relics, which even included two full bodied saints on display.  

After St. Peter's, we meandered down the Graben and the Kohlmark looking at the architecture and shops.  The Graben was the site and is named after one of the original Roman defensive works from when the city was an outpost of the Roman Empire and was called Vindobona.  

Next we went to Am Hof, which was the site of the Babenberg court in Vienna.  Am Hof means "at the Court."  Nothing is left of the original court of the Babenbergs which dates to the 1150s.  

Very close to Am Hof is the Schottenkirche or the Scottish Church.  The Church was actually founded by Irish immigrants but was called the Scottish Church because the German word for Celts was the same as Scots, so the name of the Irish was lost in the translation.  Unfortunately we could only view the church from the entrance because the pews and the altar were closed.  

Then we went to the oldest church in Vienna, St. Rubrict's.  This church was originally established by Charlemagne.  Its architecture is Gothic and strikingly simple compared with the rest of the Viennese churches that I have seen.  It has a simple brown exterior matched by a simple interior.  Inside it has white plaster walls  brightened by vibrant stained glass windows.  Because it is the oldest church in Vienna, it also has the oldest stained glass windows and the oldest church bell.  Visiting St. Rubricht's was a refreshing experience. 

Next we sought out the Greek Orthodox Church, which was the first non-Cathloic Church we were going to view.  Unfortunately it was closed but we made a note to visit it again so we can tour the inside.  We are really excited to compare the differences in religious art from the Roman and Western Catholic art to the Greek and Eastern art.  It also turned out that Diane and I had passed this church on our first day when we got lost in the city.  I even had looked at the building and taken pictures because I though it was so beautiful with its brick exterior and ivy growing up the wall.  

After the Greek Orthodox Church, we headed to the Dominican Church.  When we entered their was a group of older ladies praying aloud their afternoon prayers.  This really changed the atmosphere of visiting this church.  A church is always a place to be quiet, reverent, and observant but when I walked in and observed the church in use like this, it really changed it for me.  I became more aware of its original intent instead of viewing it as a place of history and art.  

The last church we planned to visit was the Franciscan Church.  This was another beautiful church with an amazing Baroque interior.  As we walked home, we discovered the Neumarkt square with its lovely fountain.  Since we were so tired from all the walking, we sat by the fountain for a while to regain our strength for the rest of the journey home.  Then we ended up visiting one more church since we saw that the Kaisergruft is also in Neumarkt.  I was surprised by its plain exterior, since it is such an important place as one of three burial sites for the Habsburg family.  Inside there were many saint's relics, such as the body of a young boy and two full bodied saints.  

By the end of the day, Diane and I were completely exhausted but still excited for what tomorrow holds.  

The German word of the day is “wahrscheinlich,” which means “probably.”