Karlskirche in Vienna

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The St. Charles Church is a Roman Catholic church in the 4th Vienna district Wieden . The Rectorate Church of St. Karl Borromeo belongs to the City Deanery 4/5 in the Vicariate Vienna City of the Archdiocese of Vienna . The church, built in the first half of the 18th century, is a listed building . It is located on the south side of the central Karlsplatz and is one of the most important baroque church buildings north of the Alps and one of the landmarks of Vienna.

The Karlskirche in Vienna in the evening light

history

Imperial vow

On October 22, 1713, during the last great plague epidemic that also struck Vienna, Emperor Charles VI. in St. Stephen's Cathedral to have a church built. It should be dedicated to its namesake, Karl Borromeo , who is also considered the plague saint . The plague was to be ended by the imperial promise. The plague had died out in 1714, and Emperor Charles VI. announced an architectural competition for the construction .

The Karlskirche belongs to the type of votive churches , to which the golden letters under the front triangular gable refer to Psalm XXI: "Vota mea reddam in conspectu timentium deum." (I kept my vows before the eyes of the godly.)

In addition, a votive plaque with a Latin inscription was placed above the portal, with which Charles VI. one of the happy survivors was:

Votive plaque above the portal of the Karlskirche in Vienna: Plague survived!
In honor
God Almighty
has to the venerable Karl Borromeo,
the intercessor,
the exalted emperor Charles VI,
catholic and apostolic king,
fulfills the vow
whose he for the health of the people
guilty in 1713
and which he partook in the same year
has become.

Since the Karlsplatz was re-established as an ensemble at the end of the 1980s , the Karlskirche has not only acted with its dome and two flanking relief columns, but also as an architectural counterweight to the buildings of the music association and the technical university .

Spiritual care

Karlskirche and Wienfluss , 1822

The church was the patronage parish church of the emperor from 1783 to 1918 and has been cared for by the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star from Prague since 1738 . There were only interruptions from 1959 to 1976, when it was looked after by the Premonstratensians from Geras Abbey , and from 1989 to 2000, when the personal prelature Opus Dei took over it. It is also the seat of the Catholic university community of the nearby Vienna University of Technology, which continues to be run by Opus Dei .

The parish of St. Karl Borromeo, founded in 1783, was dissolved on December 31, 2016 and the parish area was added to the parish of the Glad Message . Since January 1st 2017 the Karlskirche has been a rectorate church , which is still looked after by the Kreuzherren with the Red Star.

In 2011 Ricardo Alejandro Luna took over the direction and the reconstruction of church music in the Karlskirche Vienna and was appointed Kapellmeister and Cantor . In 2014 he founded the choir of the Karlskirche, which in February 2018, as part of his first tour together with the Schola of the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter's Basilica, contributed to the musical arrangement of the liturgy of Holy Mass with Pope Francis . This high mass was broadcast worldwide both on television and on the Internet. Together with the choir of the diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia , Luna also organized the television service broadcast by Rai 1 in the cathedral of Terni . In 2015 Luna received a composition commission from the Karlskirche for a fanfare that serves as the church's hymn and entrance music for large celebrations. The "Fanfare of the Karlskirche Vienna" op. 19 was premiered on November 8th at the high mass for the patronage of St. Karl Borromeo under his direction. 

The Order of the Cross already had a boys' choir at Karlskirche - the Singspatzen , which, however, disbanded in the 1950s. Since September 2017, the Karlsknaben have been founded as the successor boys' choir and are supposed to sing regularly at masses in the Karlskirche.

Design, construction, financing

Choir room and oratorio
Imperial Oratorio

In the architectural competition, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach prevailed against Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, among others . He designed the church as a link between Rome and Byzantium. It is based on the appearance of Hagia Sophia and imitates Trajan's Column . The construction site was fixed on November 11, 1715; In the same year the first stonemason orders were given to the masters Johann Georg Haresleben and Elias Hügel in Kaisersteinbruch and Andreas Steinböck in Eggenburg . The foundation stone was laid on February 4, 1716 on a hill on the right bank of the barely regulated Vienna River . Due to the death of Haresleben in the same year, Hügel managed the stone carving alone and became an employee of Fischer von Erlach. The fellow masters Johann Baptist Kral , Simon Sasslaber and Johann Sebastian Hillebrand worked with Hügel in comradeship .

On both sides of the choir of the Karlskirche and as stairways to the oratorios there are unusually generously dimensioned spiral staircases . They belong to the spiral staircase with cheek pillars, a special type of staircase that originated in Rome . The first of these stairs is by Donato Bramante and was created for the Belvedere of the Vatican (1507–1514). Numerous architects emulated in principle similar spiral staircases . With the influence of Italian-trained architects in Vienna, it was only logical to take up the art of Roman staircase construction. The spacious, winding stairs of the Karlskirche are impressive evidence.

Hard imperial stone was used for the main portal, for all stairs ( imperial oratory), base plates, cornices and the monumental pedestals of the two columns. Elias Hügel designed the cafeteria for the high altar , Philipp Köchl designed the tabernacle from Lasa marble and Johann Georg Röhrig from Linz altar steps from black Nassauer marble. The Wiener Bauhütte was initially represented by Johann Carl Trumler , after his death by Matthias Winkler , who were both court stone mason and cathedral builder of St. Stephan . The large, hollow pillars are made of Zogelsdorfer stone , a work by the masters Andreas Steinböck and Franz Strickner. The spiral reliefs are made by the sculptors Johann Baptist Mader, Johann Baptist Straub and Jakob Christoph Schletterer , the crowning eagle by Lorenzo Mattielli . Master Georg Deprunner from Loretto in Hungary made the drum columns for the dome. 16 vases on the dome are from Ignaz Gunst.

After Fischer's death in 1723, the building was completed by his son Joseph Emanuel by 1739, who partially changed the plans. The church was originally oriented directly towards the Hofburg and until 1918 it was also an imperial patron parish church.

As the author of historical architecture, Fischer combined a wide variety of elements. The church shows the imperial self-image of the founder and orients itself in its formal language to the connection Rome-Byzantium-Vienna. The facade in the middle, which leads to the porch, corresponds to a Roman temple portikus . The two columns next to it are based on the Trajan Column in Rome, with reliefs showing the life of Charles Barromeo. But they also symbolize the two pillars of the Solomonic temple Jachin and Boaz as well as the pillars of Hercules and thus refer to the rule in Spain, which Charles VI. had lost through the War of the Spanish Succession . The two tower pavilions, influenced by the Roman Baroque ( Bernini and Borromini ), extend next to it. A dome with a diameter of 25 m and a high drum rises above the church hall , which the younger fisherman shortened and partially changed. The plan of the dome is not circular, but has the shape of an ellipse . This is why the dome looks smaller when viewed from the front entrance than when viewed from the side. A connection to the dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was already established by the contemporaries.

The construction costs were officially 304,045 guilders and 22¼ cruisers and were borne by all crown lands, but also Spain , the Duchy of Milan and the Netherlands . In addition, fines were used, which the city of Hamburg had to reimburse, because "the mob there had demolished the chapel of the Austrian embassy" . In 1727 Marcus and Mayr Hirschl anticipated 150,000 florins  [guilders] for the purpose of renewing their Jewish residence privileges in Vienna “for the Caroli Boromaei churches and Bibliotec building ( Viennese court library ) ” . We are talking about a further 100,000 guilders, which the Hirschl brothers should pay in installments at certain times.

iconography

Karl Borromeo on the dome fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr
Column relief

The iconographic program of the large church comes from court official Carl Gustav Heraeus and connects St. Karl Borromeo with his imperial donor. The relief on the gable above the entrance refers to the occasion of the foundation: It shows how the city, which had been badly plagued by the plague, was finally saved through the intercession of St. On the attic behind the gable are the allegorical figures of religion, mercy, penitentiality and zeal for prayer. The attic is also one of the elements added by the younger fisherman. The pillars show motifs from the life of Charles Borromeo in a spiral relief, but are also intended to remind of the pillars of Heracles and function as symbols of imperial power. The entrance is flanked by two angels. One shows the exaltation of the brazen serpent as a symbol of the Old Testament, the other the cross of Christ as a representative of the New Testament.

The portal's program continues inside, especially in the dome fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr from Salzburg and Gaetano Fanti ( pseudo-architecture ), which depicts an intercession by Karl Borromäus supported by Maria . This scene is flanked by the three divine virtues of faith, hope and love. The frescoes in some of the side chapels are attributed to Daniel Gran .

The picture on the high altar, depicting the admission of St. Charles Borromeo into heaven, was designed by the elder fisherman and executed by Ferdinand Maximilian Brokoff . The altarpieces in the six side chapels are by various artists, including Daniel Gran , Sebastiano Ricci , Martino Altomonte , Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini and Jacob van Schuppen . On the side volutes of two side altars there are allegorical figures by the Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini .

The lighting and the architectural structure, especially the high arcade openings in the main axis, have a strong effect. The color is determined by the marble , gold fittings are deliberately used sparingly. The large round glass window high above the main altar with the Hebrew YHWH tetragram symbolizes God's omnipotence and, thanks to its warm yellow tone, simultaneously God's love .

The Karlskirche is considered to be Fischer's main work , in addition to the buildings in Schönbrunn , which are only fragmentarily preserved in this form .

organ

Organ gallery with a fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr on the barrel vault

On the organ loft with its porch is a baroque organ, the builder of which is unknown. The middle case dates from around 1739. However, the instrument was fundamentally modified by Joseph Seyberth in 1847 and equipped with a free-standing console. Both side wings also date from this period.

The organ builder Gerhard Hradetzky again extensively renovated the instrument in 1989. The Physharmonica was reconstructed. The keyboards have also been renewed and the broken octave has been expanded chromatically. The keys Cis and Dis operate the tones cis 0 and dis 0 .

I. Main work C – c 3
1. Drone 16 ′
2. Princip 08th'
3. Coppel 08th'
4th Hohlflöt 08th'
5. Quintatön 08th'
6th Gamb viol 08th'
7th Octave 04 ′
8th. Pointed flute 04 ′
9. flute 04 ′
10. Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
11. Octave 02 ′
12. Mixture Maior II-III 03 '
13. Mixture Minor II-III 02 '
II. Upper structure C – c 3
14th Coppel 08th'
15th Gamba 08th'
16. flute 04 ′
17th Covered 04 ′
18th Octave 02 ′
19th Mixture III
20th Physharmonica 08th'
III. Pedal C – a 0
21st Princip: bass 16 ′
22nd Sub bass 16 ′
23. Octave bass 08th'
24. Covered bass 08th'
25th Violon bass 08th'
26th cello 08th'
27. Quint bass 5 1 ⁄ 3  ′
28. Octave bass 04 ′
29 Cornett Bass IV 04 '
30th Trombone bass 16 ′
31. Trombone bass 08th'
  • Coupling : manual slide coupling, pedal coupling
  • Playing aids: shut-off valve for the pedal tongues, metal lever for switching on the Physharmonica
  • annotation
  1. ↑ Created in the gaming table.
  2. ↑ Short octave; Range of the pipework: C – H.

Panoramic lift

The dome painting can be viewed up close via a panoramic lift

The frescoes in the dome of the Karlskirche are currently accessible via a panoramic elevator that takes visitors around 32 meters above ground level; From there, access to the lantern was possible until March 2018 .

The church elevator was installed in 2002 for the purpose of renovating the dome frescoes. At that time, the church officials announced that it would be dismantled at the end of 2005. Until then, tourists and other church visitors should be able to use the elevator and watch the restorers at work. Because the lift remained built up as a pure source of income for years (until today) after the restoration work was completed, visitors to the Karlskirche fluctuate between euphoria and rejection: On the one hand, it offers the unique opportunity to take a close look at the dome frescoes On the other hand, the complex elevator construction has an extremely negative impact on the overall impression of the interior of the church.

In the low-visitor months of January / February 2018, the church interior was closed and a new, 50% more compact visitor structure was built, which offers a staircase and a now barrier-free lift to the platform under the dome with a frescoed desk. The high view over Vienna is no longer provided through a pigeon guard, but through a newly installed panoramic glass window. On March 5, 2018, a civil engineer checked the system, shortly afterwards the scaffolding was opened for the visit and the entry price increased from € 2.50 to € 8. A virtual flight around the Karlskirche via video is included.

influence

The Karlskirche in Vienna influenced the architecture of the mosque in the Schwetzingen palace gardens in Baden-Württemberg .

Picture gallery

  • Illumination of the Karlskirche at night

  • Elevated side view with pond

  • Closing detail of a column

  • Tympanum: Vienna was saved from the plague through the intercession of St. Charles Borromeo

  • Column with scenes from the life of St. Charles Borromeo

  • Fresco of the dome (panorama)

literature

Web links

Commons : Karlskirche Wien  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christian Fastl: St. Karl (Vienna). In: Oesterreichischer Musiklexikon online . Austrian Academy of Sciences , accessed on November 19, 2017 .
  2. ^ Paul Blecha: Pfarrblatt July-August 2001. Wiener Karlskirche, 2001, accessed on November 19, 2017 (made available on angelfire.com).
  3. ↑ Diocesan Gazette of the Archdiocese of Vienna January 2017
  4. ↑ Vienna gets new boys' choir orf.at, September 6th, accessed September 6th,
  5. ^ Helmuth Furch : Elias Huegel, court stone mason. 1681-1755. Involved in the construction of the Karlskirche with the greatest artists of the time . Pp. 23-30, Kaisersteinbruch 1992. ISBN 978-3-9504555-2-6 .
  6. ^ Peter Tölzer: Scalalogia writings on international stair research, stairs in Vienna, 1990, p. 148
  7. ^ The Karlskirche as a work of art and political symbol
  8. ↑ Construction of the Karlskirche. In: 18th Century - Interdisciplinary Research and Teaching in Austria. Wolfgang Schmale, Tanja Buzek, Teaching Association of Austrian Universities for the 18th Century for the academic year 2004/2005, Institute for History, University of Vienna, accessed on April 21, 2009 .
  9. ^ Felix Czeike: Historical Lexicon Vienna . Vol. 3, p. 458
  10. ^ Lecture of the finance conference to the emperor on March 17, 1727. According to: AF Pribram (ed. And introduced): Documents and files on the history of the Jews in Vienna . First section, general part 1526–1847 (1849) 1st vol., Vienna, Leipzig 1918, p. 277 (March 17, 1727). (= Historical Commission of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde in Vienna (ed.) : Sources and research on the history of the Jews in German-Austria , Vol. VIII)
  11. ↑ Stefan Lakonig (Author), Association of Friends and Patrons of the St. Charles Church (Editor): "Charles Church", 2015
  12. ^ Günter Lade: Organs in Vienna. Vienna 1990
  13. ↑ karlskirche.at - site of the Association of Friends and Patrons of the Church of St. Charles
  14. ^ The steel monster in Vienna's Karlskirche Article by Johann Werfring in the "Wiener Zeitung" of February 14, 2013, supplement "ProgrammPunkte", p. 7.
  15. ↑ Karlskirche has accessed the new visitor structure orf.at, March 4, 2018, March 4, 2018.

Coordinates: 48 ° 11 ′ 53.7 "  N , 16 ° 22 ′ 17.1"  E