Augustinian Church (Vienna)

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Augustinian Church

The Augustinerkirche is a Gothic Roman Catholic parish church in Vienna's 1st  district, Inner City . The former imperial court parish church is now part of the Albertina wing of the Vienna Hofburg .

history

Imperial wedding between Joseph II and Isabella of Parma, 1760
Grave monument for Archduchess Marie Christine by Antonio Canova, 1805

In 1327, the Habsburg Duke Friedrich the Beautiful donated a church and monastery to the Augustinian Hermit Order (since 1963: Augustinian). The nave was built under master builder Dietrich Landtner von Pirn from 1330 to 1339, but was not consecrated until November 1, 1349. Initially, the Gothic building was erected free-standing, because of the connection with the urban structure, unlike most Romanesque and Gothic churches, it was not faced. The choir is oriented to the south-southeast, the main entrance with an anteroom to the north-northwest, to Josephsplatz. Only when the Hofburg was built and the Albertina wing (Augustinian wing) was built, the church was integrated into the building complex.

In 1634 the Augustinian Church was named an imperial court parish church (see also kuk Hof- und Burgpfarre ), which marked the beginning of a longer period of baroque transformation. The church was the scene of the throne ceremonies of the imperial family and court weddings. The most important weddings were those of Archduchess Maria Theresa with Franz von Lothringen in 1736, the substitute wedding of her daughter Archduchess Maria Antonia on April 19, 1770 with the later King of France Louis XVI. , the substitute wedding of Archduchess Maria Ludovika with Napoleon Bonaparte on March 11, 1810 and the wedding of Emperor Franz Joseph I with Princess Elisabeth (Sisi) in Bavaria on April 24, 1854. From the establishment of the Archdiocese of Vienna in 1729, the newly appointed archbishops to dress in the Augustinian Church.

Around 1784/85, the church was regotized under Joseph II by the court architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg (1733-1816); for this purpose 18 side altars were torn out, which had been installed between 1630 and 1780.

Augustinian monastery

The St. Augustin Monastery, founded in 1327, was initially part of the Bavarian Province of the Order of the Augustinian Hermits , which was installed in 1299 (Bavaria, Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, Silesia, Poland). It was important at the time and had around 50 auxiliary bishops during the Middle Ages  . Numerous branches were given up during the Reformation , but Vienna remained occupied. With the Counter-Reformation a restoration of the order took place (at that time the stricter Augustinian barefooted , to which the popular preacher Abraham a Santa Clara belonged). The re-establishment of around 20 monasteries resulted in three provinces in the Habsburg Empire from the 17th century. The Augustinian monastery on Landstrasse (Vienna 3rd, founded in 1695, abolished in 1812 and demolished in 1912) as a general convent was directly subordinate to the general of the order in Rome, and the provincialate of the Vienna province , as well as the study house of the professors who held the chair of moral theology for 150 years held at the University of Vienna . The monastery at the Hofburg was a court monastery, provided the imperial pastor and pastoral care for the members of the imperial court from 1634, and hosted the important religious ceremonies of court life. The crypt of the Augustinian Church was next to the Michaeler Crypt the most important burial place of the court nobility .

In the Josephinian reforms , almost all Augustinian hermit monasteries were abolished, the one at the Hofburg in 1836 (the court parish was continued until 1918 by world priests from the Frintaneum located here ). Only a few convents in Bohemia and Moravia were preserved, which were only abolished during the communist era. The Sudeten German Augustinians, expelled from there after the Second World War, founded a new religious association, the Vicariate Vienna of the German Augustinian Province, today a vicariate under the direct jurisdiction of the Prior General as the Austro-South German circumscription . In 1951 they repopulated the Hofburg monastery.

The Augustiner Vicariate Vienna Maria Trost today includes St. Augustin Vienna and the Maria Trost monastery in Zwiesel / Bay, built in 1962 . Forest. The Vicariate (as of 2013) consists of 10 confreres, 4 of whom are at home in Vienna. The prior is currently Father Dominic Sadrawetz OSA. The parishes of St. Augustin and Aspersdorf are looked after . The parish and the convent are located on the ground floor of the monastery wing, the cloister is on the first floor .

Parish of St. Augustin

The parish also includes the Maltese Church , St. Ursula , Anna Church and Capuchin Church , as well as the castle chapel of the Hofburg and the Elisabeth chapel in the St. Elisabeth center .

The church building

inside view

The church looks rather inconspicuous from the outside, as it blends in with the surrounding buildings, but has an impressive interior. The former main facade with buttresses, central window and portal was concealed from 1767–1769 by a wing of the court library (today the Austrian National Library ), which now houses the anteroom in front of the main portal. The square tower is on the north side. The main portal on Josephsplatz leads into the three-aisled interior, which is 43 meters long and 20 meters high. The high choir is attached to the main nave, 40 meters long, 10 meters wide and 24 meters high. The 7/10 apse is located around the high altar.

Furnishing

One of the most important works of art in the nave is the grave monument for Archduchess Marie Christine von Sachsen-Teschen (1800-05) by Antonio Canova on the right (western) side wall of the nave . The monument quotes the Roman Cestius pyramid and was the model for Canova's own grave monument, which was erected by his students in the church of Santa Maria dei Frari in Venice. The tomb in relief opens with a gate into the realm of the dead, above which is the dedication Uxori optimae Albertus (dedicated to Albert's best wife). A fully plastic funeral procession approaches the entrance. The allegory of virtue with an urn and two smaller companions proceeds, followed by Caritas, which supports an old man. On the right, on the steps, sleep a lion as a symbol of power and an angel; on the pyramid relief above the gate a putto holds a palm branch, a genius the portrait of the archduchess. The monument was built between 1798 and 1805 and is considered the main work of classicist tomb art.

The high altar in the high Gothic style of the 15th century was designed by the sculptor Andreas Halbig for the Votive Church from 1857 to 1870 , made of sandstone and framed in polychrome, the altar was rejected there by the architect Heinrich Ferstel , the altar was in the Augustinian Church in 1873/1874 transfer. The altar shows Christ the King as ruler of the world, surrounded by many angels and the namesake of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

The pews in the eastern nave bays with their richly ornamented cheeks and biblical scenes on the front sides were made by Johann Baptist Straub around 1730 and originally stood in the former second Black Spaniard church in Alservorstadt. The benches with inlaid cheeks with the respective emblem of Emperor Charles VI. come from the chamber or Joseph chapel in the Vienna Hofburg, which was modified under Emperor Joseph I and Maria Theresa , and from the former Jakober monastery.

The new altar table versus populum made of Carrara marble dates from 2003.

On the side walls of the nave there are two statues of the main saints of the order in bishop's robes: on the left (east) next to the "Bach organ" (see below) St. Augustine with the flaming heart in his right hand, on the right wall with a beehive and pen as Attributes of St. Ambrose.

Crypts and side chapels

The stone, polychromed high altar

The Augustinian Church has a sacristy , a George chapel and a Loreto chapel .

Church crypt

The church crypt under the nave of St. Augustin is not to be confused with the famous heart crypt of the Habsburgs, which is attached to the Loreto chapel of the Augustinian church (see below).

The crypt under the nave of the Augustinian Church served as the burial place of the Augustinians and the court nobility, but is no longer accessible to the public today. The popular preacher Abraham a Santa Clara found his final resting place here. When the Capuchin crypt became too small at the beginning of the 19th century and the monastic community of the Capuchins was threatened with extinction, consideration was given to moving the burial place of the Habsburgs to the church crypt of St. Augustine, but in the end it did not materialize.

George's Chapel

The Georgskapelle south of the choir of the Augustinerkirche is mentioned for the first time in 1337 as a foundation of Ulrich II. Von Wallsee and was consecrated in 1341. Until 1378 it is mentioned as the liturgical assembly room of the "Order of St. George Knights" founded by Duke Otto the Merry (1301–1339). This was a Habsburg house order that followed the courtly fashion of the late Middle Ages , but was only granted a short life. In the 16th century, the St. George's Chapel integrated into the monastery complex was then used as a chapel for the dead.

In the Georgskapelle there are the tombs for Wirich Philipp Graf Daun , Leopold Graf Daun , Gerard van Swieten and an empty magnificent sarcophagus for Emperor Leopold II made by Franz Anton Zauner . On the first weekend in Advent there is traditionally an Advent market in the Georgskapelle.

Loreto Chapel and Heart Crypt

Behind the Loreto Chapel of the Augustinian Church , and separated from it by an iron door, is the Habsburg Heart Crypt in a semicircular extension (also known locally as the Herzerlgruft, Herzgrufterl or Herzgrüfterl ). Therein in metal boxes, the hearts are kept by 54 Habsburgs, the one here Heart funeral received.

Church music

The Church of St. Augustin is famous for its church music . Thus, in the High Mass of each Sunday and holy day a concert exhibition of renowned composers such as Mozart , Haydn or Schubert listed. St. Augustine's choir and orchestra are and were conducted by well-known musicians. In September 2014 Thomas Böttcher took over the leadership of the choir and orchestra of St. Augustin, whose repertoire includes around 120 masses.

World premieres (selection)

Organs

The 47-register main organ

There are two organs in the Augustinian Church, the main organ on the north wall and the smaller "Vienna Bach organ" on the east wall at the end of the nave.

Main organ

The large organ was rebuilt in 1976 by the Rieger organ builder (Schwarzach, Vorarlberg). The historical prospectus from around 1785 has been preserved. Until the Second World War it housed an instrument that had been built by Johann Hencke for the Schwarzspanierkirche and was installed in St. Augustin at the end of the 18th century. The group of angels on the case was made by the Rococo sculptor Johann Baptist Straub .

The instrument has 47  registers on four manuals and a pedal . In the course of a general overhaul in 2002, the organ building company Eisenbarth (Passau) equipped the instrument with a modern setting system .

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Quintad 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Reed flute 8th'
4th Gemshorn 8th'
5. Cornett V (from g 0 ) 8th'
6th Octav 4 ′
7th Pointed flute 4 ′
8th. Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
9. Super octave 2 ′
10. Mixtura major IV-VI
11. Mixtura minor III-IV
12. Trumpet 16 ′
13. Trumpet 8th'
II Swell C – g 3
14th Dumped 16 ′
15th viola 8th'
16. Bourdon 8th'
17th Unda Maris (from c 0 ) 8th'
18th Principal 4 ′
19th flute 4 ′
20th Nassat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
21st Hollow flute 2 ′
22nd third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
23. Scharff IV-VI
24. Cimbel III
25th Dulcian 16 ′
26th Trumpet 8th'
27. oboe 8th'
28. Clairon 4 ′
Tremblant doux
III Continuo C – g 3
29 Copula major 8th'
30th Copula minor 4 ′
31. Principal 2 ′
32. Sesquialter II (from c 0 ) 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
33. Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
34. Octav 1'

IV Shelf C – g 3
35. shelf 16 ′
36. shelf 8th'
37. shelf 4 ′
38. recorder 2 ′
39. Cimbel II 1 ⁄ 2 ′
Tremblant gone
Pedal C – f 1
40. Principal 16 ′
41. Sub bass 16 ′
42. Octav 8th'
43. Dumped 8th'
44. Octav 4 ′
45. Rausch whistle IV 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
46. Bombard 16 ′
47. trombone 8th'
  • Coupling : II / I, III / I, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P
  • Playing aids : 5000 electronic typesetting system, MIDI

Vienna Bach organ

The small organ was built in 1985 on the occasion of the festival weeks in the anniversary year "300 years of Johann Sebastian Bach". The instrument comes from the organ building workshop of the Reil brothers (Heerde / Netherlands) and was built in a historical style. The instrument with mechanical stop and keyboard action has 25 stops on two manuals and a pedal.

I main work CD – e 3
1. Drone 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Dumped 8th'
4th Cornett Disc. V (from c 1 ) 8th'
5. Pointed flute 4 ′
6th Octava 4 ′
7th Fifth 3 ′
8th. Octava 2 ′
9. Trumpet bass (up to h 0 ) 8th'
10. Trumpet Disc. (From c 1 ) 8th'
11. Mixture IV-VI 1 ⁄ 2 ′
II Oberwerk CD – e 3
12. Dumped 8th'
13. Quintadena 8th'
14th Principal 4 ′
15th Rohrflöthe 4 ′
16. Nasat 3 ′
17th Octava 2 ′
18th Gemshorn 2 ′
19th Sifflöthe 1'
20th Sesquialtera II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
Pedal CD – d 1
21st Sub-bass 16 ′
22nd Octava bass 8th'
23. Trombone bass 16 ′
24. Trumpet bass 8th'
25th Cornet 2 ′
  • Playing aids :
    • Manual coupler (sliding coupler)
    • Pedal coupler I / P
    • Tremulant for the entire organ

literature

Web links

Commons : Augustinerkirche  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ History ( Memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , on augustiner.at The Habsburg Court Monastery - St. Augustin , on habsburger.net  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.augustiner.at
  2. ↑ The Augustinian monastery and Augustinian apartment building. (No longer available online.) District Museum Landstrasse, archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; accessed on January 3, 2018 .
  3. ^ History of the Augustinians in Vienna , accessed on July 4, 2018.
  4. ^ The Augustinians in Vienna City , augustinerkirche.at
  5. ↑ Augustinian Church in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
  6. ↑ Alexandra Matzner: Antonio Canova - The grave monument for Archduchess Marie Christine of Saxony-Teschen (1800-1805) . Website of texts on art. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ Magdalena Hawlik-van de Water: The Capuchin Crypt. Burial place of the Habsburgs in Vienna. 2nd Edition. Vienna 1993, p. 30.
  8. ↑ Augustinian Church Vienna: Tour through the church , accessed on July 4, 2018.
  9. ↑ a b Georgskapelle (1, Augustinian Church) in the Vienna History Wiki of the City of Vienna
  10. ↑ The Habsburg Court Monastery - St. Augustin , on habsburger.net, accessed on July 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ The Habsburgs' Heart Crypt ( Memento from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), augustinerkirche.at
  12. ↑ Augustinerkirche Vienna: The Rieger Organ ( Memento of the original from January 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hochamt.at

Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 20.9 ″  N , 16 ° 22 ′ 3.8 ″  E