St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

ST.
STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

Faculty of Architecture University of Belgrade Course: English for Architects 2 Professor: Dr Gordana Vukovi-Nikoli Student: Nevena ivanovi 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 Schnborn, 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.
Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade / Course: English for Architects 2 / Professor: Dr Gordana Vukovi-Nikoli / Student: Nevena ivanovi M-2011/170
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 (Heidentrme): 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 Heidentrme, 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.
ROOF
The 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.
BELLS
St. 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.
INTERIOR
Inside 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.
ALTARS
There 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 PTSCH ICON

The Maria Ptsch 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.
PULPIT
The 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.
CHAPELS
St. Catherine's chapel
There 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.
The Chapel of the Cross
TOMBS, CATACOMBS AND CRYPTS

Since 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)
ORGANS
St. 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. Stephens Cathedral: CT Christ with a Toothache sculpture; Fr3 Tomb of Emperor Frederick III; G Giants Door; HA High Altar; MP Maria Ptsch 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 Neustdter 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.
CONCLUSION
St. 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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ST.

STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

GROWTH OF ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

height of the south tower.

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

MARIA PTSCH ICON

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

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

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

TOMBS, CATACOMBS AND CRYPTS

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

Plan of St. Stephen's Cathedral basement

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

scaffolding removed. Systematic cleaning of the interior is gradually

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

Man, Burnout 3. The cathedral is also depicted on

ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL IN VIENNA

the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the

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St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

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