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Faculty of ArchitectureUniversity of BelgradeCourse: English for Architects 2Professor: Dr Gordana Vuković-NikolićStudent: Nevena Živanović M-2011/170

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRALIN VIENNA

Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade / Course: English for Architects 2 / Professor: Dr Gordana Vuković-Nikolić / Student: Nevena Živanović M-2011/170

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

INTRODUCTION

This text will provide information about the famous Cathedral of St. Stephen,

which is located in the capital city of Austria, Vienna. It is the mother church of

the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph

Cardinal Schönborn, OP. Its current Romanesque and Gothic form seen today,

situated at the heart of Vienna in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by

Rudolf IV and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first being a parish

church consecrated in 1147.

As the most important religious building in Austria's capital, the cathedral has

borne witness to many important events in that nation's history and has, with its

multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. St.

Stephen's Cathedral defines the city center and has been the heart of Vienna for

centuries. It is one of the most famous Viennese sights. For a long time it was

uncontested as the highest building in Europe measuring almost 137 m.



HISTORY

By the middle of the 12th century, Vienna had become an important

centre of German civilization in eastern Europe, and the four existing

churches, including only one parish church, no longer met the town's

religious needs. Although previously believed to have been built in an

open field outside the city walls, the new parish church (which would

eventually become St. Stephen's Cathedral) was in actuality likely built

on an ancient cemetery dating back to Ancient Roman times.



HISTORY

The first church to occupy the site of St. Stephen's Cathedral was a Romanesque

church, which was replaced by a larger Romanesque basilica in 1147. A major fire

in 1258 destroyed much of the original building, and a larger replacement structure,

also Romanesque in style and reusing the two towers, was constructed over the

ruins of the old church and consecrated in 1263. The cathedral suffered damage

during the Turkish seige of 1683 and again in the closing days of World War II,

when fire from street fighting leapt to the rooftop. The cathedral was reopened in

1948. The roof was repaired and decorated with ceramic tiles donated by Viennese

citizens in 1950. Among the important events that have occurred at St. Stephen's

are Mozart's wedding in 1782 and his funeral in December 1791.



GROWTH OF ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL

The Roman towers and Giant's Door from the burned-out

first church were used as part of the Romanesque second

church built to replace it. Forty years later, construction

began on the Gothic Albertine Choir; 55 years after

that, Duke Rudolf IV's additions enlarging the structure

began, around the second church that was later dismantled,

leaving the third church as the Stephansdom seen today.



EXTERIOR

The church was dedicated to St. Stephen, who was also the patron of the

bishop's cathedral in Passau. The cathedral was built of limestone. Over the

centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the church

have given it a black color, but recent restoration projects have again

returned the building to its original white.

Characteristic are the stand-alone traverse position of the towers, the

integration of the Romanesque west facade, the high Gothic choir and the

striking steep roof with ornate patterns of coloured tiles.



EXTERIOR

Duke Rudolf IV of Habsburg ordered the complete restructuring of the church in Gothic style. In 1359, he laid the

cornerstone of the nave with its two aisles. The South Tower was completed in 1433 (the Viennese have given it

the nickname "Steffl," representative of the whole cathedral). The cathedral has got two very impressive features:

The gigantic roof, and the tall, lean tower (136.7 meters of hight). One can find only few gothic towers of such

height that were finished in the Middle Ages.

Total length: outside 107.2 m; inside 91.8 m

Width of the nave: 38.9 m

Height of the south tower: (highest tower) 136.7 m

Height of the north tower: 60.6 m

Height of the Towers of the Heathens (Heidentürme): 65.6 m



TOWERS

Standing at 136 meters tall St. Stephen's Cathedral's massive south tower is its

highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline. Its construction lasted

65 years, from 1368 to 1433. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during

the Battle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command

post for the defence of the walled city. At the tip of the tower stands the double-

eagle imperial emblem.

The north tower was originally intended to mirror the south tower, but the design proved too ambitious,

considering the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end, and construction was halted in 1511. In 1578 the

tower-stump was augmented with a renaissance cap. The tower now stands at 68 meters tall, roughly half the

height of the south tower.

The main entrance to the church is named the Giant's Door, or Riesentor, while on the left and right are the two

Roman Towers, or Heidentürme, that each stand at approximately 65 meters tall. They originally housed bells;

those in the south tower were lost during World War II, but the north tower remains an operational bell tower.

The Roman Towers, together with the Giant's Door, are the oldest parts of the church.



ROOFThe glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly coloured roof,

111 meters long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south

side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is

symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. In 1945, fire

caused by World War II damage to nearby buildings leapt to the north tower of the

cathedral and went on to destroy the wooden framework of the roof.

BELLSSt. Stephen's Cathedral has 23 bells in total. The largest is officially named for St.

Mary, but usually called Pummerin ("Boomer") and hangs in the north tower. It is

the largest in Austria and the second largest swinging bell in Europe. It sounds on

only a few special occasions each year. A peal of eleven electrically operated bells,

hangs in the soaring south tower. The north Roman Tower contains six bells, that

ring for evening prayers and toll for funerals. The 1945 fire destroyed the bells that

hung in the south Roman Tower.



INTERIORInside the cathedral there are many art treasures like the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1754), the Altarpiece

of Wiener Neustadt, the pulpit by Anton Pilgram (1514-15), the sepulcher of Emperor Frederik III by Niclas

Gerhaert (1467-1513), the watchman's lookout, a self portrait of the sculptor, and the Gothic winged altar.



ALTARSThere are 18 altars in the main part of the church, and more in the

various chapels. The High Altar and the Wiener Neustadt Altar are

the most famous.

The first focal point of any visitor is the distant High Altar, built over

seven years from 1641 to 1647. The High Altar represents the stoning

of the church's patron St. Stephen. It is framed by figures of patron

saints from the surrounding areas.

The Wiener Neustadt Altar at the head of the north nave was

ordered in 1447 by Emperor Frederick III, whose tomb is located in

the opposite direction. It is composed of two triptychs, the upper

being four times taller than the lower one. On weekdays, the four

panels are closed and display a drab painted scene involving 72

saints. On Sundays, the panels are opened showing gilded wooden

figures depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary.



MARIA PÖTSCH ICON

The Maria Pötsch Icon is a Byzantine style icon of St.

Mary with the child Jesus. The picture shows the Virgin

Mary pointing to the child (signifying "He is the way") and the

child holding a three-stemmed rose (symbolizing the Holy

Trinity) and wearing a prescient cross from his neck. After

two miraculous incidents in 1696 with the mother in the

picture shedding real tears, Emperor Leopold I ordered it

brought to St. Stephen's Cathedral. Since its arrival the

picture has not been seen weeping again but other miracles

and answered prayers have been attributed to it,

including Prince Eugene of Savoy's victory over the Turks

at Zenta few weeks after the icon's installation in the

Stephansdom.



PULPITThe stone pulpit is a masterwork of late gothic sculpture. The

pulpit stands against a pillar out in the nave, instead of in the

chancel at the front of the church, so that the local language

sermon could be better heard by the worshipers in the days

before microphones and loud speakers.

The sides of the pulpit erupt like stylized petals from the stem

supporting it. On those gothic petals are relief portraits of the

four original Doctors of the Church (St. Augustine of Hippo,

St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome), each of

them in one of four different temperaments and in one of four

different stages of life. The handrail of the stairway curving its

way around the pillar from ground level to the pulpit has

fantastic decorations of toads and lizards biting each other,

symbolizing the fight of good against evil. At the top of the

stairs, a stone puppy protects the preacher from intruders.



PULPIT

Beneath the stairs is one of the most beloved symbols of the

cathedral: a stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor

gawking (German: gucken) out of a window (German: fenster)

and thus famously known as the Fenstergucker. The chisel in

the subject's hand, and the stonemason's signature mark on

the shield above the window let to the speculation that it

could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.



CHAPELSThere are several formal chapels in St. Stephen's Cathedral:

• St. Catherine's Chapel, in the base of the south tower, is the baptismal chapel. Its

marble base shows the four Evangelists, while the niches of the basin feature the

twelve apostles, Christ and St. Stephan.

• St. Barbara's Chapel, in the base of the north tower, is used for meditation and prayer.

• St. Eligius's Chapel, in the southeast corner, is open for prayer. The altar is dedicated

to St. Valentine.

• St. Bartholomew's Chapel, above St. Eligius' Chapel, has recently been restored.

• The Chapel of the Cross, in the northeast corner, contains the burial place of Prince

Eugene of Savoy. It is also where the funeral of Mozart was held on 6th December

1791. The chapel is not open to the public.

• St. Valentine's Chapel, above the Chapel of the Cross, is the current depository of the

hundreds of relics belonging to the Stephansdom, including a piece of the tablecloth

from the Last Supper. A large chest holds the bones of St. Valentine.

St. Catherine's chapel

The Chapel of the Cross



TOMBS, CATACOMBS AND CRYPTSSince its earliest days, St. Stephen's Cathedral has been surrounded by cemeteries dating back to Roman times,

and has sheltered the bodies of notables and commoners. Inside the cathedral, we find the tombs of Prince

Eugene of Savoy, in the Chapel of the Cross, and of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, in the Apostles' Choir

(southeast corner of the cathedral). When the charnel house and eight cemeteries against St. Stephen's

Cathedral's side and back walls were closed due to an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1735, the bones within them

were moved to the catacombs below the church. The remains of over 11,000 persons are in the catacombs

(which may be toured). The basement of the cathedral also hosts the Bishops, Provosts and Ducal crypts.

The Ducal Crypt is a mausoleum located under the chancel of the Stephansdom. It holds 78 bronze containers

with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty. Before his death in 1365, Duke Rudolf

IV had ordered such a crypt to be built for his remains in the new cathedral he commissioned.

Tomb of emperor Frederick III (1,2)Catacombs (3)



ORGANSSt. Stephen's Cathedral has an old organ tradition. The

first organ is mentioned in 1334. After the fire of 1945,

Michael Kauffmann finished in 1960 a large electric

organ with 125 voices and 4 manuals, financed with

public donations. In 1991, the Choir organ was built. It

is a mechanical organ, with 56 voices and 4 manuals.

Plan of St. Stephen's Cathedral basement



Plan of St. Stephen’s Cathedral:

CT “Christ with a Toothache” sculpture; Fr3 Tomb of Emperor Frederick III; G Giant’s Door; HA High Altar; MP Maria Pötsch icon; NT North Tower; P Pulpit; PES Prince Eugene of Savoy burial chapel; RT Roman Towers; S Sundial; SJC Saint John of Capistrano pulpit; ST South Tower; WNA Wiener Neustädter Altar.



MYTHS

Many myths are being told about Vienna's famous landmark.

There's the story of the Servants' Madonna, which once

saved an innocent girl from being arrested for stealing. The

graceful statue of the Madonna and Child is said to have

miraculously helped acquit a maid who had been wrongly

accused of stealing valuables from her master. A rich countess

impures a larceny of a necklace to a female domestic servant

and called the police. The servant prayed to this early-gothic

Madonna statue. The police was searching the house and

found the necklace at a groom. The countess was blamed, she

believed a wonder from the statue. She wanted to get the

statue out of the house and presented it to St. Stephan's

cathedral.



MYTHS

At the cathedral's apse you can admire the so-called "Zahnwehherrgott" (Lord of toothache), an 'ecce homo'

statue once situated at the graveyard outside the cathedral.

The story about incomplete northern steeple is also interesting. Was it because of financial troubles (because of

the permanent threat of a Turkish siege), or the Gothic style had gone out of fashion? The legend of the young

architect who was mortally in love with the daughter of the architect building the southern steeple is much more

intriguing...



CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

Preservation and repair of the fabric of the medieval cathedral has

been a continuous process at St. Stephen's Cathedral since its original

construction in 1147. The most visible current repair project is a multi-

year renovation of the tall south tower, for which scaffolding has

been installed. As of December 2008, the majority of the restoration

on the south tower has been finished, and most of the scaffolding

removed. Systematic cleaning of the interior is gradually proceeding

around the walls, and an outdoor relief of Christ in Gethsemane is

being restored. Recently completed is a giant project for which visitors

and worshippers in St. Stephen's Cathedral had been waiting since

1147: better heating of the church during the winter. Previous

systems, including fireplaces, just deposited soot and grease on the

artwork.



STEPHANSDOM IN MEDIA

As Vienna's landmark, the St. Stephen's Cathedral is

featured in media including films, video games, and

television shows. These include The Third

Man, Burnout 3. The cathedral is also depicted on

the Austrian 10 cent euro coins and on the packaging

of the Manner-Schnitten wafer treat. In 2008, Sarah

Brightman performed a concert promoting her latest

album, Symphony.



CONCLUSIONSt. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna has survived through

many wars and has become a symbol of Vienna's

freedom. Probably one of the greatest Gothic edifices

in Europe, St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom to the

Austrians) is located right in the center of the city of

Vienna. St. Stephen's is the most important religious

building in Austria's capital and the mother church of

the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the

Archbishop of Vienna.

St. Stephen's Cathedral can be described in an array of

superlatives... It is a moving place of worship, a world

famous cultural heritage site and monument that

stands up confidently to international comparison, the

national emblem of Austria and a symbol of Austrian

identity, a top class tourist attraction.

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