ST PETERS RECTORY CHURCH
Hidden Baroque Gem of Vienna
One of the richest examples of Baroque church interiors in the imperial city of Vienna is tucked around the corner from the larger central cathedral of St Stephens. The Roman Catholic parish church of St Peter (Peterskirche) is built on the sport of one of the oldest known churches of the Austrian capital located on the spot of the early Roman encampment city of Vindobona dating from the 4th Century. The first settlement church was replaced by a Romanesque church during the time of Charlemagne, with the church now dedicated to the first of the medieval “Holy Roman Emperors” (see Charlemagne Cathedral Aachen). The medieval church known to be existing at the end of the 12th Century is recorded as having a nave and two aisles in the common style of the era, but with an apse in the southern end, rather than the usual eastern end.
The church has always been known to be surrounded by shops and other buildings and today remains a little cramped by neighbors. The original medieval church burned to the ground in 1661, during the imperial reign of Leopold I, who managed to hold off the advancing Turks from Vienna. Following a plague outbreak in 1679, Leopold ordered the church to be rebuilt in the Baroque style inspired by the Vatican’s St Peters Basilica. Construction began in 1701 inder the supervision of Gabriele Montani, and then Johann vin Hildebrandt. The new church was consecrated in 1733, and was the first church with a dome in Austria, and because of its cramped exterior space, is more rectangular inner dimension than other Gothic churches,
A principal unmistakable feature of the Vienna Peterskirche is the spectacular rare oval dome ceiling of rich gold stucco adornment and saints emerging into virtual space in gold gilt. The fresco painting in the dome cap represents the Coronation of Our Lady by Johann Rottmayer. Surrounding the dome on pillars are representations of the four evangelists of Peter, Paul, Luke and Mark by J. Schmidt. And the stamp of Emperor Leopold can be found in his coat of arms and regalia symbols on the triumph arch. In the side chapels can be found the remains of martyrs from the Catacombs of Rome donated to the church for its dedication in 1733 by the Cardinal Kollonitz, with the bones once dressed in clothes and displayed in glass.
Visiting St Peter’s Church of Vienna
The church is located on Petersplatz, next to the Graben main shopping street of old Vienna and the Jungferngasse alley. The Church of St Peter is almost hidden by the surround buildings and can only really be seen outside from the front, and is Vienna’s hidden Baroque gem. There is no admission charge and the church is open during regular hours, 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 9pm Saturday, Sunday and Holidays. Concerts and chorales are often presented at the Peterskirche for free attendance, except for specialized concerts in the Krypta which require tickets. © Bargain
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SEE ALSO:
THE EMPEROR TOMB - KAISER CRYPT VIENNA
TREASURES OF ST STEPHENS CATHEDRAL
IMPERIAL TREASURE CHAMBER VIENNA
GOTTWEIG ABBEY BAROQUE MONASTERY - WACHAU VALLEY
