St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) is a Roman Catholic church in Vienna, Austria, and the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen’s Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city’s most recognizable symbols. It has 256 stairs from the top to the bottom The church was dedicated to St. Stephen, also the patron of the bishop’s cathedral in Passau, and so was oriented toward the sunrise on his feast day of 26 December, as the position stood in the year that construction began. Overview Exterior Built of limestone, the cathedral is 107 metres (351 ft) long, 40 metres (130 ft) wide, and 136 metres (446 ft) tall at its highest point. Over the centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the church have given it a black colour, but recent restoration projects have again returned some portions of the building to their original white. Its construction lasted 65 years, from 1368 to 1433. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defence of the walled city, and it even contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city. The north tower was originally intended to mirror the south tower, but the design proved too ambitious, considering the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end, and construction was halted in 1511. In 1578, the tower-stump was augmented with a Renaissance cap, nicknamed the “water tower top” by the Viennese. The tower now stands at 68 metres (223 ft) tall, roughly half the height of the south tower. St. Stephen’s Cathedral currently has a total of 22 bells in four separate belfries. Roof The glory of St. Stephen’s Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly coloured roof, 111 metres (364 ft) long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. On the north side, the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria are depicted. Interior The main part of the church contains 18 altars, with more in the various chapels. The High Altar (HA) and the Wiener Neustadt Altar are the most famous. The stone pulpit is a masterwork of late Gothic sculpture. Long attributed to Anton Pilgram, today Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden is thought more likely to be the carver. So that the local language sermon could be better heard by the worshipers in the days before microphones and loudspeakers, the pulpit stands against a pillar out in the nave, instead of in the chancel at the front of the church. Since its earliest days, the cathedral has been surrounded by cemeteries dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of nobles and commoners. It has always been an honour to be buried inside a church, close to the physical presence of the saints whose relics are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near, but outside, the church. The Ducal Crypt located under the chancel holds 78 bronze containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty. The sarcophagi of Duke Rudolf IV and his wife were placed upon a pedestal and the 62 urns containing organs were moved from the two rows of shelves around the new chamber to cabinets in the original one. St Stephen’s Cathedral has an old organ tradition. The first organ is mentioned in 1334. In 1991, the Austrian firm of Rieger rebuilt the choir organ. It is a mechanical organ, with 56 voices and 4 manuals. There are several formal chapels in St. Stephen’s Cathedral: St. Catherine’s St. Barbara’s St. Eligius’s St. Bartholomew’s Chapel of the Cross St. Valentine’s Chapel Opening hours Monday–Saturday: 6:00 AM–10:00 PM. Sunday: 7:00 AM–10:00 PM. Prices All-Inclusive-Ticket This ticket allows you to visit the cathedral with a digital audio guide on your smartphone, explore the south and north towers independently, take a tour of the catacombs, and visit the cathedral museum. Adults: €29.00 Children (6-14): €7.00 Children (-6): free Cathedral visits Adults: €8.00 Children (6-14): €3.00 Children (-6): free Catacombs tour or North Tower or South Tower Adults: €8.00 Children (6-14): €3.00 Children (-6): free Transport The nearest stop is Stephansplatz, served by bus routes 1A, 2A, and 3A. At the southern entrance is the Stephansplatz U-Bahn station, served by lines U1 and U3. See also France travel guide Spain travel guide Catalonia travel guide Pyrenees travel guideThe post St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna first appeared on All PYRENEES.