The Karlskirche (English: Charles Church) is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church in the Karlsplatz 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. The church is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation.Brook 2012, pp. 146–147. The church is located on the border of Wieden and the Innere Stadt, the city centre.

History

In 1713, one year after the last major plague epidemic in Vienna, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, pledged to build a church dedicated to his namesake patron saint, Charles Borromeo, who was revered as a healer for plague sufferers. An architectural competition was announced, in which

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 inf ...

won over competitors including Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Construction began in 1716 under the supervision of Anton Erhard Martinelli. After J.B. Fischer's death in 1723, his son, Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, completed the construction in 1737 with modifications to the original plans. The church originally possessed a direct line of sight to the Hofburg and was also, until 1918, the imperial patron parish church. As a master of historic architecture, the elder Fischer von Erlach united the most diverse of elements. The façade in the centre, which leads to the porch, corresponds to a

Greek temple Greek temples (, semantically distinct from Latin , " temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and ritu ...

portico. The two flanking columns, crafted by Lorenzo Mattielli, were inspired by Trajan's Column in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Next to those, two tower pavilions extend out and show the influence of the Roman baroque ( Bernini and Borromini). Above the entrance, a dome rises up above a high drum, which the younger J.E. Fischer shortened and partly altered. Adjacent to the church was the ''Spitaler Gottesacker'' cemetery. Composer Antonio Vivaldi was buried there on July 28, 1741, but his grave has been lost over time. The church hosts regular Vivaldi concerts in his honour. Hedy Lamarr, then aged 19, married Friedrich Mandl, aged 32, a businessman and Austrofascist, in the chapel of the church on 10 August 1933. With over 200 prominent guests attending, Lamarr wore "a black-and-white print dress" and carried "a bouquet of white orchids." Since the restoration of Karlsplatz as an architectural ensemble in the late 1980s, the church has garnered fame because of its dome and its two flanking columns of bas-reliefs, as well as its role as an architectural counterweight to the buildings of the Musikverein and of the Vienna University of Technology. The church is cared for by the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, and has long been the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

and seat of the Catholic student ministry of the Vienna University of Technology.

Iconography

The iconographical program of the church originated from the imperial official Carl Gustav Heraeus and connects Saint Charles Borromeo with his imperial benefactor. The

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

on the pediment above the entrance with the cardinal virtues and the figure of the patron on its apex point to the motivation of the donation. This sculpture group continues onto the attic story as well. The attic is also one of the elements which the younger Fischer introduced. The columns display scenes from the life of Charles Borromeo in a spiral relief and are intended to recall the two columns, Boaz and Jachim, that stood in front of the Temple at Jerusalem. They also recall the

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules are the promontory, promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar, Calpe Mons, is the Rock of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of ...

and act as symbols of imperial power. The entrance is flanked by angels from the Old and

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

s. This program continues in the interior as well, above all in the dome fresco by

Johann Michael Rottmayr Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was an Austrian painter. Biography Rottmayr was born in Laufen an der Salzach, Bavaria. Along with his Laufen-born contemporary, Hans Adam Weissenkircher, he received his educ ...

of Salzburg and Gaetano Fanti, which displays an intercession of Charles Borromeo, supported by the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. Surrounding this scene are the cardinal virtues. The frescos in a number of side chapels are attributed to Daniel Gran. The high altarpiece portraying the ascension of the saint was conceptualized by the elder Fischer and executed by Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff. The altar paintings in the side chapels are by various artists, including Daniel Gran, Sebastiano Ricci, Martino Altomonte and Jakob van Schuppen. A wooden statue of St. Anthony by Josef Josephu is also on display. As strong effect emanates from the directing of light and architectural grouping, in particular the arch openings of the main axis. The color scheme is characterized by

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

with sparring and conscious use of gold leaf. The large round glass window high above the main altar with the Hebrew

Tetragrammaton The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliteration, transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from ...

Yahweh Yahweh was an Ancient Semitic religion, ancient Semitic deity of Weather god, weather and List of war deities, war in the History of the ancient Levant, ancient Levant, the national god of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Judah, Judah and Kingdom ...

symbolizes God's omnipotence and simultaneously, through its warm yellow tone, God's love. Below is a representation of Apotheosis of Saint Charles Borromeo. Next to the structures at

Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn Palace (Austrian German, German: Schloss Schönbrunn ) was the main summer residence of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning "beautiful spring") ha ...

, which maintain this form but are more fragmented, the church is Fischer's greatest work. It is also an expression of the Austrian ''joie de vivre'' stemming from the victorious end of the Turkish Wars.

Pulpit

The

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

of the church was probably designed by Fischer von Erlach the Younger, and its execution may have been carried out by the French furniture maker Claude Le Fort du Plessy in 1735, although no surviving documents confirm their authorship or the construction of the church furniture. It is a wooden structure with rich floral, vegetal, rosette and rocaille ornaments, the finer carvings made of hard walnut, in a gold and brown colour scheme. The abat-voix forms a theatrical canopy, featuring two putti holding a cross and a chalice with a host, with a flaming urn at the top. Around 1860, the abat-voix was enlarged. A wide rim was added, distorting the original proportions, obscuring the elegant swirling lines, and creating a top-heavy effect. Between 2006 and 2007, this rim was removed after extensive debate, and the pulpit was restored. The missing canopy carvings were reconstructed, restoring the structure's original appearance.Verein Karskirche, Nachrichten, Ausgabe 4, Jänner 2007

Gallery

Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 164-166 HDR.jpg, Night view of the church Karlskirche - Wien 006.jpg, Column with spiral narrative as on Trajan's Column Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 72.jpg, Top of one of the two towers Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 49-51 HDR.jpg, High Altar, ''Apotheosis of Saint Charles Borromeo'', by Alberto Camesina Wien Karlskirche - Hochaltar 5.jpg, Saints Jerome and Augustine, High Altar, by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach St. Charles's Church, Austria, Vienna - Gold piece high above the altar symbolizing Yahweh.jpg, The gold piece high above the altar symbolizing

Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 64-66 HDR.jpg, Closer view of the dome Intercession of Charles Borromeo supported by the Virgin Mary - Detail Rottmayr Fresco - Karlskirche - Vienna.JPG, Intercession of Charles Borromeo supported by the Virgin Mary by Rottmayr Wien - Karlskirche, Orgel.JPG, Organ loft Karlskirche pulpit.jpg, The restored canopy of the abat-voix Iglesia de San Carlos Borromeo, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 61-63 HDR.jpg, Huge reflecting ball inside the church

References

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External links