St. Rupert's Church () is a Romanesque church in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria. Traditionally considered to be the oldest church in the city, St. Rupert's Church is dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg, patron saint of the salt merchants of Vienna. The church is located in one of the oldest parts of the city, the section of the Roman

Vindobona Vindobona (; from Gaulish ''windo-'' "white" and ''bona'' "base/bottom") was a Roman military camp (or ) in the province of Pannonia, located on the site of the modern city of Vienna in Austria. The settlement area took on a new name in the 13 ...

.Brook 2012, p. 81. There is currently some debate whether the Ruprechtskirche is truly the oldest church in Vienna. Discoveries of old foundations under the St. Peter's Church and old graves under the St. Stephen's Cathedral have disputed the certainty of this label.

History

According to legend, the church was founded by Cunald and Gisalrich, companions of Rupert during his occupation of the seat of bishop of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. However, because Salzburg had influence over religious issues in Vienna between 796 and 829, it is more probable that it was founded in this period. The first reference to the church in historical documentation is in a document of 1200 when Duke Heinrich II Jasomirgott describes a gift to the

Schottenstift The (), formally called (), is a Catholic monastery founded in Vienna in 1155 when Henry II of Austria brought Irish monks to Vienna. The monks did not come directly from Ireland, but came instead from Scots Monastery in Regensburg, Germany ...

church. The document also mentions the Ruprechtskirche, which is labeled the oldest in the city. After the destruction of the Roman settlement, the core part of the city grew in the area near the church. It was the seat of the religious administration before that function was transferred to the

Stephansdom St. Stephen's Cathedral ( ) 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, Christoph Schönborn. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the ca ...

in 1147. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the church was the seat of the ''Salt Office'' (Salzamt), which distributed salt to individual buyers and ensured its quality. The church overlooks the jetty of the salt merchants on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

channel. The ivy-covered church has been rebuilt and altered many times in its history. In 1276, it was damaged by fire and modified. The choir dates from the 13th century, while the southern nave dates from the 15th century. In 1622, it was redecorated in Baroque style. It was also somewhat damaged by shellfire during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and affected by the demolition of the nearby ruins of another building. In the middle of the apse, there are two Romanesque stained-glass windows.

Other features

The oldest bells in Vienna are located in the church, dating from around 1280. The oldest glass window panes (dating from approximately 1370) can be found in the church. They depict a crucified Christ and the Madonna with baby. A statue of Saint Rupert is located in the north part of the main tower. The arch on the western gallery has a plaque with the label “AEIOU 1439”, an undecyphered motto of Emperor Frederick III. The plaque was designed to commemorate the entrance of the emperor to Vienna on December 6, 1439. According to tradition, AEIOU stands for (in Latin) "AUSTRIAE EST IMPERARE ORBI UNIVERSO" or in German "ALLES ERDREICH IST OESTERREICH UNTERTAN", both meaning "The whole world is subject to Austria" A relic of the sarcophagus of Saint Vitalis is located in the church containing the supposed remains of a Christian victim from the

Roman catacombs The Catacombs of Rome () are ancient catacombs, underground burial places in and around Rome, of which there are at least forty, some rediscovered since 1578, others even as late as the 1950s. There are more than fifty catacombs in the underg ...

. This memorial of victimization has special meaning in modern times because the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

headquarters, which was used for torture and the organization of Jewish deportations, was located nearby in the Morzinplatz square.

Gallery

St Rupert's.jpeg, St Rupert's Wien - Ruprechtskirche, innen.JPG, Interior Innenansicht Ruprechtskirche 4.jpg, Altar Innenansicht Ruprechtskirche 3.jpg, Interior Glasmalerei Ruprechtskirche.jpg, Stained glass window Glasmalerei Ruprechtskirche 2.jpg, Stained glass window Glasmalerei Ruprechtskirche 3.jpg, Stained glass window Heilige Rupert Ruprechtskirche.jpg, Statue of St. Rupert Ruprechtsstiege Wien 2.jpg, The Ruprecht staircase connects the Morzinplatz with the Ruprechtsplatz Judenviertel Wien.JPG, The little squares and lanes surrounding the Ruprechtskirche belong to the oldest part of Vienna Wien - Morzinplatz, Mahnmal.JPG, Remembrance of the victims of the Gestapo

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * *

External links

{{Commons, Ruprechtskirche (Wien)
Official website
Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt Rupert 9th-century churches Romanesque architecture in Austria