![Wien - Griechenkirche zur Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Wien_-_Griechenkirche_zur_Heiligen_Dreifaltigkeit.JPG)
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (''Griechenkirche zur Heiligen Dreifaltigkeit'') is a
Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
Cathedral in the
first district of Vienna, Austria, in the
historic Greek neighborhood of Vienna's
Innere Stadt. The neighborhood has also been known as the "Fleischmarkt".
Since 1963 the cathedral has been the seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Austria (the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: the Metropolis of Austria and Exarchate of Hungary and Middle Europe).
History
![Fleischmarkt 13 IMG 6892](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Fleischmarkt_13_IMG_6892.JPG)
Greek Orthodox churches have existed near this site since 1787, as a result of the 1781
Patent of Toleration
The Patent of Toleration (german: Toleranzpatent) was an edict of toleration issued on 13 October 1781 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II. Part of the Josephinist reforms, the Patent extended religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians livi ...
issued by
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. The architect of the 1787 building was Peter Mollner.
The current building is a
Byzantine Revival
Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Ortho ...
re-design of the Mollner building by Danish-Austrian neo-classic architect
Theophil Hansen
Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in ...
. Greek-Austrian diplomat and philanthropist
Simon Sinas
Simon von Sina or Simon Sinas ( el, Σίμων Σίνας; 1810–1876) was a Greek-Austrian banker, aristocrat, benefactor and diplomat. He was one of the most important benefactors of the Greek nation together with Georgios Sinas.
Biography
Sim ...
funded the project, one of many collaborations with Hansen in Vienna and Athens. The cathedral was inaugurated on December 21, 1858.
The exterior features two-tone brickwork and gilded archways.
[National Geographic Traveler: Vienna, by Sarah Woods, page 80] The elaborately ornamented sanctuary shows a stylish allusion to Baroque church architecture typical of southern Germany and Austria. A number of frescoes for the facade and vestibule were commissioned from the Austrian painter and art professor
Carl Rahl
Carl Rahl, sometimes spelled Karl Rahl (13 August 1812 – 9 July 1865), was an Austrian painter.
Life
Rahl was born in Vienna to Carl Heinrich Rahl (1779–1843), an engraver. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and won a prize at ...
, with other frescoes by
Ludwig Thiersch
Ludwig Thiersch (April 12, 1825 in Munich – May 10, 1909"Thiersch", ''Meyers Konversations-Lexikon'') was a German painter, primarily of mythological and religious subjects and especially of ecclesiastical art, also influential in Greece.
...
.
The address is Fleischmarkt 13, 1010 Wien. Among the parishioners here was the family of conductor
Herbert von Karajan
Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...
.
References
External links
website of the Vienna Metropolitan
{{coord, 48.21084, 16.377372, type:landmark_region:AT, display=title, format=dms
Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt
Churches in Vienna
Neo-Byzantine architecture
Theophil Hansen buildings
Greek Orthodox cathedrals in Europe
Church buildings with domes
Cathedrals in Austria