Jul 30 2008
St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
Vienna, the city of music, waltz, many beautiful balls and buildings, the gardens bloom, and even the hills picturesquely “dressed in vineyard which will please all the customers of the Heuriger restaurants … A city recrossed not only by the carriages with horses and by the coachmen of the fairy tales, but also by the Danube…
Vienna is an architectural museum outdoors. The old buildings are in a perfect state of storage. The former capital of the empire Vienna is to be admired by any visitor. No matter how much you walk through Vienna, you will not be disappointed. The only impediment is that you will get tired. Nothing compares to this wonderful city, with streets that gate in a different world, in another age. You will first be carried in the past and then in the future…
The Dome of Saint Stephen in Vienna was built in the XVIIth century. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, a symbol of the city, and a place of many important events in the history of Austria. Its patron is Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Choosing the patron has to do with the fact that until the establishment of the Bishopric of Vienna (in the year 1469), the city belonged canonically to the Diocese of Passau, whose cathedral is also patroned by St. Stephen, the first martyr.
St. Stephen’s cathedral is one of the most representative buildings of the Gothic Europe. The North Tower, with a height of 70 meters, was decorated under the Renaissance style, and during the Reform its internal has been adjusted to correspond to the Baroque style. The bell of the cathedral, called Pummerin, has no less than 21 tonnes and after it was damaged during the Second World War, it is now only used to mark important events like New Year’s Day.
The Gothic building the most representative for Austria, hosts inside treasures of art, which can be seen only in the framework of an organized tour: the Emperor Frederick III’s vault made of red marble, sculpted between 1467-1513 by Niclas Gehaert van Leyden. Another treasure is the pulpit, Anton Pilgram’s work (1514-1515) - who settled under it his own portrait in relief as a signature. You can also admire here a part of Vienna Neustadt shrine, the tomb of the Prince of Savoy in 1754. If you climb the 343 stairs of the cathedral’s tower you will be surrounded by a wonderful view.