The Franciscan Church (german: Franziskanerkirche) is one of the oldest churches in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The church is located at the intersection of Franziskanergasse and Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse opposite the Franciscan Friary in the

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ''Alt ...

section of the city. The first church on this site was erected in the eighth century. Between 1408 and 1450, a Gothic choir replaced the Romanesque choir. A slender Gothic tower was added between 1468 and 1498. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and served as the parish church until 1635. It was ceded to the Franciscan Order in 1642.

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His infl ...

redesigned the church interior in the baroque style in the eighteenth century.

History

The first church on this site was built in the eighth century during the time of

Saint Virgil Virgil (– 27 November 784), also spelled Vergil, Vergilius, Virgilius, Feirgil or Fearghal, was an Irish people, Irish churchman and early astronomer. He left Ireland around 745, intending to visit the Holy Land; but, like many of his countrym ...

, who may have used it for baptisms. A document from 1139 mentions a parish church on this site. That church was destroyed by fire in 1167, together with five other churches, including the Dom. In the early thirteenth century (starting in 1208), the central nave of the church was built in the late-Romanesque style, making it among the oldest buildings in Salzburg. It was consecrated in 1221. Between 1408 and 1450 Master Hans von Burghausen began work on the radiant Gothic choir to replace the Romanesque choir, which Stefan Krumenauer completed. A slender Gothic tower was added between 1468 and 1498. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and served as the parish church until 1635. In 1670, archbishop Max Gandolf of Kuenburg ordered the top of the church's tower removed because it was taller than the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

tower. The tower was later restored in 1866 in the neo-Gothic style by Joseph Wessiken. In the eighteenth century, the church interior was redesigned in the baroque style. The "Rosary" of chapels behind the high altar date from the sixteenth century.

Description

The church choir contains nine chapels decorated in baroque style by

in the eighteenth century. The chapel behind the high altar has a winged marble altar that dates from 1561. The High Altar (1709) by Fischer von Erlach is made of red marble and gold. The central Madonna statue on the winged altar dates from the Late Gothic period (1495-1498) and was sculpted by Michael Pacher of Tyrol. The staircase of the pulpit contains a marble lion from the 12th century standing over a man with a painful grimace on his face, pushing his sword into the belly of the lion. The triumphal arch holds frescoes by Conrad Laib.

Gallery

File:Salzburg - Franziskanerkirche.JPG, Church tower from the east File:Salzburg Franziskanerkirche Turm.jpg, Church tower from the west File:Salzburg Rupertinum und Franziskanerkirche.jpg, Franciscan Church tower from Max-Reinhardt-Platz File:Franziskanerkirche Ceiliing 3.jpg, Ceiling detail File:Franziskanerkirche Salzburg Gewölbe.jpg, Gothic choir vault File:Franziskanerkirche High Altar Salzburg.jpg, High Altar by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach File:Salzburg cossa.jpg, Gothic vault File:Salzburg Franziskanerkirche Hochaltar detail.jpg, High Altar (detail) File:Salzburg Franziskanerkirche Josephskapelle Beschneidung.jpg, Josephskapelle

References

* "Franziskanerkirche in Salzburg" (13. Auflage 2012; booklet on sale in the church.

External links

Sacred Destinations
{{Authority control 8th-century churches Tourist attractions in Salzburg Gothic architecture in Austria Roman Catholic churches in Salzburg Franciscan churches in Austria Roman Catholic churches completed in 1498 15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Austria Establishments in the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg