Church of Mariahilf
Façade and main entrance towards Mariahilfer Straße
Religion
AffiliationCatholic Church
LeadershipP. Kazimierz Tomaszewski CSMA[1]
Year consecrated1730
Location
LocationVienna, Austria
Church of Mariahilf is located in Vienna
Church of Mariahilf
Shown within Vienna
Church of Mariahilf is located in Austria
Church of Mariahilf
Church of Mariahilf (Austria)
Geographic coordinates48°11′56″N 16°21′12″E / 48.1988°N 16.3532°E / 48.1988; 16.3532
Architecture
Architect(s)Franz Jänggl, Sebastiano Carlone
TypeChurch
StyleBaroque
Groundbreaking1711
Completed1715
Specifications
Direction of façadeNWbN
Length55 meters (180 ft)
Width25 meters (82 ft)
Width (nave)14 meters (46 ft)
Website
www.pfarremariahilf.at

The Church of Mariahilf is a Baroque parish church and the church of the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel (Congregatio Sancti Michaëlis Archangeli) in Vienna. It is located in Vienna's 6th district (Mariahilf).

The parish church of Mariahilf was built by Sebastiano Carlone in 1686–1689, but redesigned by Franz Jänggl (1711–1715).[2]

Interior

The church has six chapels and is decorated with frescoes in trompe-l'œil made by Johann Hauzinger and Franz Xaver Strattmann in 1759–1760, pupils of Paul Troger. The altar was made by J. G. Dorfmeister.

The organ was built in 1763 by the Austrian organ builder Johann Hencke (3 Dec 1697 Geseke- 24 September 1766 Vienna).

Pulpit

Christ crowning St Paul

The original pulpit was designed in 1720 by Antonio Beduzzi, an Italian architect working in Upper Austria and Lower Austria. It was remodelled in Classicizing late Baroque style in 1794.[3] It is a wooden structure with gilt sculptures and decoration, the finishing of the surface imitates the appearance of polished marble, the colour scheme is brown and gold. The abat-voix is larger than the lower part creating a top-heavy effect. The carved floral and vegetal decoration is particularly rich on the door and the gable of the abat-voix. On the front of the balustrade there is gilt relief showing "Christ crowning St Paul in Heaven with the crown of martyrdom".[4] The main figures of the scene are surrounded by cherubs among thick clouds, one of them holding a book and a knife. The iconography could be accounted for by the fact that St Paul was the patron saint of the Barnabites. On the shorter sides there are two groups of carved symbols, among the first the Table of Showbread with menorah, book, two torches and branches, among the second the Tablets of Stone, book, cross, two torches and branches. These are illustrating the synthesis of the Old and the New Testament. The abat-voix is crowned with a lively Baroque sculpture group of playful cherubs holding symbols of the faith, a cross, an anchor, a chalice and a flaming heart.

See also

Notes

  1. Official Website of the Archdiocese of Vienna – Stadtdekanat 6/7 – Nadelstiche des Nichtaufgebens
  2. "Mariahilf, Bezirk von Wien". Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  3. Felix Czeike: Wien. Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte der Donaumetropole, DuMont Reiseverlag, 1999, p. 268
  4. Eva-Maria Gärtner: Auf den Spuren des hl. Paulus in Mariahilf (2. Teil), Pfarrblatt des Pfarrverbandes, 2/2009 6. Jahrgang

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