The Lichtental Parish Church () is the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church of Lichtental, now part of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria. Officially the ', it is dedicated to the

Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers (german: Vierzehn Nothelfer, la, Quattuordecim auxiliatores) are a group of saints venerated together by Roman Catholic Christians because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against ...

. The church has elements of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and Neoclassical architecture. It is also known as the ' (Schubert Church), because

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

was baptised there in 1797 and wrote several compositions for use in the church, including his first mass for the centenary, first performed on 25 September 1814.

History

After the suburb Lichtental was founded at the turn of the 18th century, religious services were first held at the local brewery. In 1711 a chapel consecrated to St. Anna was built in the middle of the new settlement. In 1712, Charles VI laid the foundation for a church. The building was probably designed by

Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (14 November 1668 – 16 November 1745) was an Austrian baroque architect and military engineer who designed stately buildings and churches and whose work had a profound influence on the architecture of the Habsburg E ...

and

Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...

. The first

Solemn Mass Solemn Mass ( la, missa solemnis) is the full ceremonial form of a Mass, predominantly associated with the Tridentine Mass where it is celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon,"The essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon ...

was held in 1714, although the church was still unfinished. In 1723, Lichtental became an independent parish. The first pastor was Carl de Giorgio. The building was completed in 1730 and consecrated to the

. An organ was installed in 1738. Facing a rapidly growing population, the church was expanded to its present size, from 1769 to 1773. The foundation was laid by

Maria Theresia Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

. It shows elements of the transition from

to Neoclassical architecture. Lichtentaler Pfarrkirche - Altar

The plans were designed by Joseph Ritter and Thaddäus Kärner. The high altar was created in 1776 by court architect Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg. Franz Anton Zoller, a member of the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

, created its painting, showing the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The second tower was finished only in 1827.

Schubert

Composer

was baptised in the church on 1 February 1797. It was here he received his first musical training. In 1814, at age 17, he was commissioned to compose a

missa solemnis {{Audio, De-Missa solemnis.ogg, Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass, and is a genre of musical settings of the Mass Ordinary, which are festively scored and render the Latin text extensively, opposed to the more modest Missa brevis. In French ...

for the centenary of the church, his first mass in F major. He conducted its first performance on 25 September 1814. His later masses in

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

B-flat major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: : Many transposing instr ...

and

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

were also composed for Lichtental Church, as well as other sacred music.

References

Literature

* Erich Benedikt: ''Franz Schubert und die Pfarrkirche Lichtental''. Verlag St. Peter, Salzburg 1997, * Erich Benedikt: ''Die Musikhandschriften des Pfarrarchivs Wien-Lichtental''. Verlag Der Apfel, Wien 2006, * Alfred Wolf: ''Alsergrund-Chronik. Von der Römerzeit bis zum Ende der Monarchie''. Wien 1981

External links

* {{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Vienna 1730 establishments in Austria 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Austria Roman Catholic churches completed in 1730 Baroque church buildings in Austria