Malteserkirche
Encyclopedia
The Maltese Church
The Maltese Church ( (full name - Church of Saint John the Baptist) is a Roman Catholic Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, on Kärntner Straße in the 1. Wiener Gemeindebezirk
Districts of Vienna
The districts of Vienna are 23 named city sections of Vienna, Austria, which are also numbered for easy reference. For centuries, district boundaries have changed...
Innere Stadt
Innere Stadt
The Innere Stadt is the 1st municipal District of Vienna . The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Innere Stadt was congruent with the city of Vienna...
.
History and architecture
The first church on this site is mentioned in 1217, as a "House of the Prueder of the Order of Saint John", a commandryCommandry (feudalism)
Commandry , or commandery , was the smallest division of the European landed estate or manor under the control of a commendator, or commander, of an order of knights...
to care and support crusaders. The current building was built in the mid 15th century. In the 17th century it was a favoured preaching location for Abraham a Sancta Clara
Abraham a Sancta Clara
Abraham a Sancta Clara , Austrian divine, was born at Kreenheinstetten, near Messkirch. His lay name was Johann Ulrich Megerle ....
. This building was rebuilt to fit contemporary taste in the Baroque era and in 1806, and the Kommendenhaus (1839) and parts of the church (1857) had stained glass added during the 19th century. The Order ran into financial trouble after the First World War and in 1933 had to sell the church and the Johanneshof, and the church was given over to other uses within a historical preservation order. It was bought back in 1960 and restored in stages in 1968, 1972 and 1983-84, finishing with a general restoration in 1998.
The church's high altarpiece was painted in 1730 by Johann Georg Schmidt
Johann Georg Schmidt (painter)
Johann Georg Schmidt was an Austrian Baroque painter. To distinguish him from his better-known namesake Martin Johann Schmidt from Krems he was also known as the "Viennese Schmidt" ....
.