Stephansdom - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church

Mother Church

In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...

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

Archbishop of Vienna

The Archbishop of Vienna is the prelate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna who is concurrently the metropolitan bishop of its ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of Eisenstadt, Linz and St. Pölten....

, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

Christoph Cardinal Schönborn

Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Schönborn, OP is an Austrian Cardinal of the Catholic Church and theologian. He currently serves as the Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Bishops Conference...

, OP. Its current Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

and 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....

form seen today, situated at the heart of 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...

, Austria in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Rudolf IV

Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria

Rudolf IV der Stifter was a scion of the House of Habsburg and Duke of Austria and Duke of Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as Count of Tyrol from 1363 and first Duke of Carniola from 1364 until his death...

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-colored tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.

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. In 1137, Bishop of Passau

Bishop of Passau

The Diocese of Passau is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of München und Freising. The diocese covers an area of 5,442 km². The current bishop is Wilhelm Schraml.-History:...

Reginmar and Margrave Leopold IV signed the Treaty of Mautern, which referred to Vienna as a Civitas for the first time and transferred the Church of St. Peter

Peterskirche, Vienna

St. Peter's Church is a Baroque Roman Catholic parish church in Vienna, Austria. It was transferred in 1970 by the Archbishop of Vienna Franz Cardinal König to the priests of the Opus Dei.-The first church:...

to the Diocese of Passau. Under the Treaty, Margrave Leopold IV also received from the Bishop extended stretches of land beyond the city walls, with the notable exception of the territory allocated for the new parish church which would eventually become St. Stephen's Cathedral. Although previously believed to have been built in an open field outside the city walls, the new parish church was in actuality likely built on an ancient cemetery dating back to Ancient Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

times; excavations for a heating system in 2000 revealed graves, 2.5 meters below the surface, which were carbon-dated

Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...

to the 4th century. This discovery suggests that an even older religious building predated the Ruprechtskirche

Ruprechtskirche

The Church of St. Rupert is a church in Vienna, Austria. Traditionally considered to be the oldest church in the city, it is dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg, patron saint of the salt merchants of Vienna...

, which is considered today to be the oldest church in Vienna.

Founded in 1137 following the Treaty of Mautern, the partially-constructed Romanesque church was solemnly dedicated in 1147 to St. Stephen in the presence of Conrad III of Germany

Conrad III of Germany

Conrad III was the first King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes, a daughter of the Salian Emperor Henry IV.-Life and reign:...

, Bishop Otto of Freising

Otto of Freising

Otto von Freising was a German bishop and chronicler.-Life:He was the fifth son of Leopold III, margrave of Austria, by his wife Agnes, daughter of the emperor Henry IV...

, and other German nobles who were about to embark on the Second Crusade

Second Crusade

The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...

. Although the first structure was completed in 1160, major reconstruction and expansion lasted until 1511, and repair and restoration projects continue to the present day. From 1230 to 1245, the initial Romanesque structure was extended westward; the present-day west wall and Romanesque towers date from this period. In 1258, however, a great fire 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 on 23 April 1263. The anniversary of this second consecration is commemorated each year by a rare ringing of the Pummerin

Pummerin

Pummerin is the name of the two largest bells in the history of the Stephansdom in Vienna.- Old Pummerin : was originally cast in 1705 from 208 of the 300 cannon captured from the Muslim invaders in the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna....

bell for three minutes in the evening.

In 1304, Albert I

Albert I of Germany

Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...

ordered a Gothic three-nave

Nave

In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

choir to be constructed east of the church, wide enough to meet the tips of the old transept

Transept

For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...

s. Under his son Albert II, work continued on the Albertine choir, which was consecrated in 1340 on the 77th anniversary of the previous consecration. The middle nave is largely dedicated to St. Stephen and All

All Saints

All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...

Saints, while St. Mary and the Apostles provide motifs for the north and south nave, respectively. The choir was again expanded under the reign of Albert II's son, Rudolf IV, the Founder, to increase the religious clout of Vienna. On 7 April 1359, Rudolf IV laid in the vicinity of the present south tower the cornerstone for a westward Gothic extension of the Albertine choir. This expansion would eventually encapsulate the entirety of the old church, and in 1430, the edifice of the old church was removed from within as work progressed on the new cathedral. The south tower was completed in 1433, and the vaulting of the nave—begun in 1446—was complete in 1474. The foundation for a north tower was laid in 1450, and construction began under master Lorenz Spenning

Lorenz Spenning

Lorenz Spenning was a gothic architect who was master of St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna from 1454. He was present at the Regensburg Congress of 1459.- References :...

, but its construction was abandoned when major work on the cathedral ceased in 1511.

In 1365, just six years after beginning the Gothic extension of the Albertine choir, Rudolf IV disregarded St. Stephen's status as a mere parish church and presumptuously established a chapter

Chapter (religion)

Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....

of canons

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

befitting a large cathedral. This move was only the first step in fulfilling Vienna's long-held desire to obtain its own diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

; in 1469, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...

prevailed upon Pope Paul II

Pope Paul II

Pope Paul II , born Pietro Barbo, was pope from 1464 until his death in 1471.- Early life :He was born in Venice, and was a nephew of Pope Eugene IV , through his mother. His adoption of the spiritual career, after having been trained as a merchant, was prompted by his uncle's election as pope...

to grant Vienna its own bishop, to be appointed by the emperor. Despite long-standing resistance by the Bishops of Passau, who did not wish to lose control of the area, the Diocese of Vienna was canonically established on 18 January 1469, with St. Stephen's Cathedral as its mother church. In 1722 during the reign of Karl VI, the see

Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...

was elevated to an archbishopric by Pope Innocent XIII

Pope Innocent XIII

Pope Innocent XIII was pope from 1721 until his death.He was born Michelangelo Conti in Poli, near Rome. Like Pope Innocent III , Pope Gregory IX and Pope Alexander IV , he was a member of the family of the Conti, counts and dukes of Segni...

During World War II, St. Stephen's Cathedral was saved from intentional destruction at the hands of retreating German forces

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

when Captain Gerhard Klinkicht disregarded orders from the city commandant, Sepp Dietrich

Sepp Dietrich

Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was a German SS General. He was one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldiers and commanded formations up to Army level during World War II. Prior to 1929 he was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard but received rapid promotion after his participation in the murder of...

, to "fire a hundred shells and leave it in just debris and ashes." On 12 April 1945, however, fires from nearby shops—started by civilian plunderers as Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n troops entered the city—were carried to the cathedral by wind, severely damaging the roof and causing it to collapse. Fortunately, protective brick shells built around the pulpit, Frederick III's tomb, and other treasures, minimized damage to the most valuable artworks. The beautifully carved 1487
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&Rollinger choir stalls], however, could not be saved. Rebuilding began immediately, with a limited reopening on 12 December 1948 and a full reopening on 23 April 1952.

Exterior
The church was dedicated to St. Stephen, who was also the patron of the bishop's cathedral in Passau

Passau

Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....

, and so was oriented toward the sunrise on his feast day of 26 December, as the position stood in the year that construction began. Built of limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

, the cathedral is 107 meters (350 ft) long, 40 meters (131 ft) wide, and 136 meters (445 ft) tall at its highest point. 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.

Towers

Standing at 136 meters tall (445 ft) and affectionately referred to by the city's inhabitants as "Steffl" (a diminutive form of "Stephen"), 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

Siege of Vienna

The Siege of Vienna in 1529 was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. The siege signalled the pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire's power, the maximum extent of Ottoman expansion in central Europe, and was the result of a...

in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna

Battle of Vienna

The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...

in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defence of the walled city, and it even contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city. At
http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0000961the tip] of the tower stands the double-eagle imperial emblem with the Habsburg-Lorraine coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

on its chest, surmounted by a double-armed apostolic cross

Patriarchal cross

The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short,...

, which refers to Apostolic Majesty, the imperial style

Style (manner of address)

A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...

of kings of Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

.

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

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

cap, nicknamed the "water tower top" by the Viennese.
The tower now stands at 68 meters tall (223 ft), roughly half the height of the south tower.

The main entrance to the church is named the Giant's Door, or Riesentor,
referring to the thighbone

Femur

The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...

of a mastodon

Mastodon

Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...

that hung over it
for decades
after being unearthed in 1443
while digging the foundations for the north tower.
The tympanum

Tympanum (architecture)

In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....

above the Giant's Door depicts Christ Pantocrator

Christ Pantocrator

In Christian iconography, Christ Pantokrator refers to a specific depiction of Christ. Pantocrator or Pantokrator is a translation of one of many Names of God in Judaism...

flanked by two winged angel

Angel

Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...

s, while on the left and right are
the two Roman Towers, or Heidentürme, that each stand at approximately 65 meters (215 ft) tall.
The name for the towers derives from the fact that they were constructed from
the rubble of old structures built by the Romans
(German Heiden meaning heathens or pagans)
during their occupation of the area.
Square at the base and octagonal above the roofline, the Heidentürme 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 (361 ft) long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tile

Tile

A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...

s. Above the choir

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic

Mosaic

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...

of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg

Habsburg

The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

dynasty. On the north side the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria are depicted. 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. Replicating the original bracing for so large a roof (it rises 38 meters above the floor) would have been cost prohibitive, so over 600 metric tons of http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0007222steel bracing] were used instead. The roof is so steep that it is sufficiently cleaned by the rain alone and is seldom covered by snow.

Bells

The composer Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...

discovered the totality of his deafness when he saw birds flying out of the bell tower as a result of the bells' tolling but could not hear the bells. St. Stephen's Cathedral has 23 bells

Bell (instrument)

A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...

in total. The largest is officially named for St. Mary, but usually called Pummerin
Pummerin
Pummerin is the name of the two largest bells in the history of the Stephansdom in Vienna.- Old Pummerin : was originally cast in 1705 from 208 of the 300 cannon captured from the Muslim invaders in the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna....

("Boomer") and hangs in the north tower. At 20,130 kilograms (44,380 pound

Pound (mass)

The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...

s), it is the largest in Austria and the second largest swinging bell in Europe (after the 23,500-kilogram (51,800-pound) Peter in Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...

Upper Austria

Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...

. It sounds on only a few special occasions each year, including the arrival of the new year. Also in this tower are three older bells that are no longer used:
Kleine Glocke ("small bell") (62 kg) cast around 1280;
Speisglocke ("dinner bell") (240 kg) cast in 1746;
and Zügenglocke ("processions bell") (65 kg) cast in 1830.

A peal of eleven
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bells, cast in 1960, hangs in the soaring south tower. Replacements for other ancient bells also lost in the 1945 fire, they are used during Masses at the cathedral: four are used for an ordinary Mass; the quantity increases to as many as ten for a major holiday Mass; and the eleventh and largest is added when the Cardinal

Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

Archbishop of Vienna

himself is present. From the largest to the smallest, they are named the St. Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....

(5,700 kg); St. Leopold (2,300 kg); St. Christopher
Saint Christopher
.Saint Christopher is a saint venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, listed as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd century Roman Emperor Decius or alternatively under the Roman Emperor Maximinus II Dacian...

(1,350 kg); St. Leonhard (950 kg); St. Josef
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....

(700 kg); St. Peter Canisius
Petrus Canisius
Saint Petrus Canisius was an important Jesuit who fought against the spread of Protestantism in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, , and Switzerland...

(400 kg); St. Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...

(280 kg); All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...

(200 kg); St. Clement Maria Hofbauer
Clemens Maria Hofbauer
Clemens Maria Hofbauer was a hermit and is the patron saint of Vienna.- Childhood and early priesthood :...

(120 kg); St. Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...

(60 kg); and St. Tarsicius (35 kg). Also in this tallest tower are the Primglocke (recast in 1772) and the Uhrschälle (cast in 1449), which mark the passing of the hours.

The north Roman Tower contains six bells, five of which were cast in 1772, that ring for evening prayers and toll for funerals. They are working bells of the cathedral and their names usually recall their original uses: Feuerin ("fire alarm" but now used as a call to evening prayers) cast in 1859; Kantnerin (calling the cantors (musicians) to Mass); Feringerin (used for High Mass on Sundays); Bieringerin ("beer ringer" for last call at taverns); Poor Souls (the funeral bell); and Churpötsch (donated by the local curia

Curia

A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...

in honor of the Maria Pötsch icon in the cathedral).

The 1945 fire destroyed the bells that hung in the south Roman Tower.

Fixtures on the outside walls

During the Middle Ages, major cities had their own set of measures and the public availability of these standards allowed visiting merchants to comply with local regulations. The official Viennese ell

Ell

An ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...

length standards for verifying the measure of different types of cloth sold are embedded in the cathedral wall, to the left of the main entrance. The linen ell

Ell

An ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...

, also called Viennese yard, (89,6 cm) and the drapery ell

Ell

An ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...

(77,6 cm) length standards consist of two iron bars. According to Franz Twaroch, the ratio between the linen ell and the drapery ell is exactly

. The Viennese ells are mentioned for the first time in 1685 by the Canon

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

Testarello della Massa in his book Beschreibung der ansehnlichen und berühmten St. Stephans-Domkirchen.

A memorial tablet (near location SJC on the Plan below) gives a detailed account of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...

's relationship with the cathedral, including the fact that he had been appointed an adjunct music director here shortly before his death. This was his parish church when he lived at the "Figaro House" and he was married here, two of his children were baptised here, and his funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross (at location PES) inside.

The pulpit (now outdoors at location SJC) from which St. John Capistrano

Giovanni da Capistrano

Saint John of Capistrano, O.F.M., was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest from Italy...

preached a crusade in 1454 to hold back Muslim invasions of Christian Europe. The 18th century Baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

statue shows St. Francis under an extravagant sunburst, trampling on a beaten Turk. This was the original cathedral's main pulpit inside until it was replaced by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden's pulpit in 1515.

A figure of Christ (at location CT) affectionately known to the Viennese as "Christ with a toothache", from the agonized expression of his face, various memorials from the time the area outside the cathedral was a cemetery and a recently-restored 15th century sundial

Sundial

A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...

, on a flying buttress

Flying buttress

A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...

at the southwest corner (location S) can be seen.
Interior

Altars

There are 18 altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

s in the main part of the church, and more in the various chapels. The High Altar HA
Ha
-Science and measurement:* Hahnium, an element now called Dubnium* Hectare , a unit of area* Hectoampere, a unit of electric current* Hemagglutinin , an antigenic glycoprotein from Influenza viruses...

and the Wiener Neustadt Altar WNA are the most famous.

The first focal point of any visitor is the distant High Altar, built over seven years from 1641 to 1647 as part of the first refurbishment of the cathedral in the baroque

Baroque

style. The altar was built by Tobias Pock

Tobias Pock

Tobias Pock was an Austrian Baroque painter from Swabian descent, a pioneer of sacral art....

at the direction of Vienna's Bishop Philipp Friedrich Graf Breuner with marble from Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Styria and Tyrol

Tyrol (state)

Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...

. 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 – Saints Leopold

Leopold III, Margrave of Austria

Saint Leopold III was the Margrave of Austria in 1073–1136. He is the patron saint of Austria, of the city of Vienna, of Lower Austria, and, jointly with Saint Florian, of Upper Austria. His feast day is November 15.-Biography:...

, Florian

Saint Florian

Florian lived in the time of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian, and was commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing firefighting brigades....

, Sebastian and Rochus – and surmounted with a statue of St. Mary which draws the beholder's eye to a glimpse of heaven where Christ waits for Stephen (the first martyr

Martyr

A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

) to ascend from below.

The Wiener Neustädter Altar at the head of the north nave was ordered in 1447 by Emperor Frederick III

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...

, whose tomb is located in the opposite direction. On the predella

Predella

A predella is the platform or step on which an altar stands . In painting, the predella is the painting or sculpture along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece...

is his famous A.E.I.O.U.

A.E.I.O.U.

AEIOU, or A.E.I.O.U., was a symbolic device utilised by the Habsburg emperors. Emperor Frederick III , who had a fondness for mythical formulae, habitually signed buildings and objects with the acronym...

device. Frederick ordered it for the Cistercian Viktring Abbey

Viktring Abbey

Viktring Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in the Austrian state of Carinthia. Stift Viktring is now the name of the Roman Catholic parish in Viktring, since 1973 a district of the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt.-History:...

(near Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt

-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...

) where it remained until the abbey was closed in 1786 as part of Emperor Joseph II's

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...

anti-clerical reforms. It was then sent to the Cistercian monastery of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...

(founded by Emperor Frederick III) in the city of Wiener Neustadt

Wiener Neustadt

-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...

, and finally sold in 1885 to St. Stephen's Cathedral when the Wiener Neustadt monastery was closed after merging with Heiligenkreuz Abbey

Heiligenkreuz Abbey

Heiligenkreuz Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the village of Heiligenkreuz in the southern part of the Vienna woods, c. 13 km north-west of Baden in Lower Austria...

.

The Wiener Neustädter Altar is composed of two triptych

Triptych

A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...

s, the upper being four times taller than the lower one. When the lower panels are opened, the gothic grate of the former reliquary

Reliquary

A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...

depot above the altar is revealed. 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. Its restoration begun on its 100th anniversary, in 1985 and took 20 years, 10 art restorers, 40,000 man-hours, and €1.3 million to complete, primarily because its large surface (100 m²).

Maria Pötsch Icon

The Maria Pötsch Icon MP is a Byzantine style

Byzantine art

Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 5th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453....

icon

Icon

An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...

of St. Mary with the child Jesus. The icon takes its name from the Hungarian

Hungary

Uniate church of Máriapócs

Máriapócs

Máriapócs is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. It lies near Nyíregyháza. It is an important place for pilgrimage. It has a gorgeous Greek Catholic church, which houses the Weeping Black Madonna, an enormous and unbelievably...

, from where it was transferred to Vienna. 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. The 50 x 70 cm icon was commissioned in 1676 from painter István Papp by László Csigri upon his release as a prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

from the Turks

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

who were invading Hungary

Hungary

at the time. As Csigri was unable to pay the 6-forint fee the icon was bought by Lőrinc Hurta who donated it to the church of Pócs.

After two miraculous

Miracle

A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...

incidents in 1696 with the mother in the picture shedding real tears, Emperor Leopold I

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...

ordered it brought to St. Stephen's Cathedral, where it would be safe from the Muslim armies that still controlled much of Hungary. Upon its arrival after a triumphal 5-month journey in 1697, Empress Eleonora Magdalena commissioned the splendid Rosa Mystica oklad and framework (now one of several) for it, and the Emperor personally ordered the icon placed near the High Altar in the front of the church, where it stood prominently from 1697 until 1945. Since then, it has been in a different framework, above an altar under a medieval stone baldachin

Baldachin

A baldachin, or baldaquin , is a canopy of state over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure is more correctly called a ciborium when it is...

near the southwest corner of the nave

Nave

– where the many burning candles indicate the extent of its veneration

Veneration

Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...

, especially by Hungarians. 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

Prince Eugene of Savoy

Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...

's victory over the Turks at Zenta

Senta

Senta is a town and municipality on the bank of the Tisa river in the Vojvodina province, Serbia. Although geographically located in Bačka, it is part of the North Banat District...

few weeks after the icon's installation in the Stephansdom.

The residents of Pócs wanted their holy miracle-working painting returned, but the emperor sent them a copy instead. Since then, the copy has been reported to weep real tears and work miracles, so the village changed its name from merely Pócs to Máriapócs
Máriapócs
Máriapócs is a small town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. It lies near Nyíregyháza. It is an important place for pilgrimage. It has a gorgeous Greek Catholic church, which houses the Weeping Black Madonna, an enormous and unbelievably...

and has become an important pilgrimage site.

Pulpit

The stone pulpit

Pulpit

Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...

is a masterwork of late gothic

Gothic art

Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...

sculpture. Long attributed to Anton Pilgram

Anton Pilgram

Anton Pilgram was a late medieval Austrian architect and sculptor active in the area of today's Czech Republic, Austria and western Germany. Pilgram is known as the sculptor of the portal of Old City Hall in Brno and craftsman of the pulpit in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna...

, today Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden

Nikolaus Gerhaert

Nikolaus Gerhaert , also known as Nikolaus Gerhaert von Leyden, was a sculptor of Dutch origin, although aside from his sculptures, few details are known of his life.- Biography :...

is thought more likely to be the carver. So that the local language sermon

Sermon

A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...

could be better heard by the worshipers in the days before microphones and loud speakers,
http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0007009the pulpit stands] against a pillar

Column

A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...

out in the nave

Nave

, instead of in the chancel

Chancel

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

at the front of the church.

The sides of the pulpit erupt like stylized petals from the stem supporting it. On those gothic

Gothic art

petals are relief

Relief

Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...

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

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...

, St. Ambrose

Ambrose

Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...

, St. Gregory the Great

Pope Gregory I

Pope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...

and St. Jerome

Jerome

Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...

), each of them in one of four different temperaments and in one of four different stages of life.The http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/query.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida&DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata&THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx&USER=bild&BAG=20&POS=0&DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl&LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl&FCT=q&iftxt=Stiegengel%E4nder%20&N_ftxt=0&R_ftxt&ikufo=&N_kufo=1&R_kufo

&i024=Wien&N_024=2&R_024

&i031=&N_031=3&R_031

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&i039=&N_039=6&R_039

&handrail of the stairway]
curving its way around the pillar from ground level to the pulpit has fantastic decorations of toad

Toad

A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...

s and lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s biting each other, symbolizing the fight of good against evil. At the top of the stairs, a stone puppy

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

protects the preacher from intruders.

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

Chisel

A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it.In use, the chisel is forced into the material...

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

Mason's mark

A mason's mark is a symbol often found on dressed stone in buildings and other public structures.-In stonemasonry:Scottish rules issued in 1598 stated that on admission to the guild, every mason had to enter his name and his mark in a register....

on the shield above the window let to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.

Chapels

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

St. Katherine's
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...

Chapel, in the base of the south tower, is the baptismal chapel. The 14-sided baptismal font was completed in 1481, and its cover was formerly the sound board above the famed pulpit in the main church. Its marble base shows the four Evangelists, while the niches of the basin feature the twelve apostles, Christ and St. Stephan.
St. Barbara's
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....

Chapel, in the base of the north tower, is used for meditation and prayer.
St. Eligius's
Saint Eligius
Saint Eligius is the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and coin collectors. He is also the patron saint of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers , a corps of the British Army, but he is best known for being the patron saint of horses and those who work with them...

Chapel, in the southeast corner, is open for prayer. The altar is dedicated to St. Valentine whose body (one of three, held by various churches) is in another chapel, upstairs.
St. Bartholomew's
Bartholomew
Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel . He was introduced to Christ through St. Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per , where the name Nathaniel first appears. He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in...

Chapel, above St. Eligius' Chapel, has recently been restored.
The Chapel of the CrossPES
PES
PES may refer to:*Packetized elementary stream, part of the MPEG communication protocol*Party of European Socialists*Payment for ecosystem services*Performance Enhancement Specialist, Issued by National Academy of Sports Medicine...

, in the northeast corner, contains the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...

in the vault containing 3 coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings. It is also where the funeral of Mozart was held on 6 December 1791. The beard on the crucified Christ above the altar is of real hair. The chapel is not open to the public.
St. Valentine's
Saint Valentine
Saint Valentine is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome. The name "Valentine", derived from valens , was popular in Late Antiquity...

Chapel, above the Chapel of the Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds of relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...

s belonging to the Stephansdom, including a piece of the tablecloth from the Last Supper. A http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0009421large chest] holds the bones of St. Valentine. They were moved here about a century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the south of the High Altar.

Tombs, catacombs and crypts

Since its earliest days, St. Stephen's Cathedral has been surrounded by cemeteries

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of notables and commoners. It has always been an honour to be buried inside a church, close to the physical presence of the saint

Saint

A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

s whose relic

Relic

In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...

s are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near (but outside) the church.

Inside the cathedral, we find the tombs of Prince Eugene of Savoy

Prince Eugene of Savoy

PES
PES
PES may refer to:*Packetized elementary stream, part of the MPEG communication protocol*Party of European Socialists*Payment for ecosystem services*Performance Enhancement Specialist, Issued by National Academy of Sports Medicine...

,commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

in the Chapel of The Cross (northwest corner of the cathedral) and of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...

Fr3, under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was canonically erected on 18 January 1469, in the Apostles' Choir (southeast corner of the cathedral).

The construction of Emperor Frederick's tomb spanned over 45 years, starting 25 years before his death. This impressive sarcophagus

Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...

is made of the unusually dense red marble

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...

-like stone found at the Adnet

Adnet

Adnet, a town in Austria, is a community of 3.324 people, located near Hallein, Salzburg . It is famous for its marble and there is a marble museum in the middle of the town.-Geography:...

quarry. Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden

Nikolaus Gerhaert

Nikolaus Gerhaert , also known as Nikolaus Gerhaert von Leyden, was a sculptor of Dutch origin, although aside from his sculptures, few details are known of his life.- Biography :...

, the http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=friedrichsgrab;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0012961tomb lid] shows Emperor Frederick in his coronation

Coronation

A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...

regalia

Regalia

Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...

surrounded by the coats of arms of all of his dominions. The body of the tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of medieval sculptural art.

When the charnel house

Charnel house

A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...

and eight cemeteries against St. Stephen's Cathedral's side and back walls were closed due to an outbreak of bubonic plague

Bubonic plague

Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...

in 1735, the bones within them were moved to the catacombs below the church. Burials directly in the catacombs occurred until 1783, when a new law forbade most burials within the city. 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 most recent interment http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0008355in the Bishop's crypt] completed in 1952 under the south choir

Quire (architecture)

Architecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...

was that of 98-year-old Cardinal Franz König

Franz König

Franz König was an Austrian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Vienna from 1956 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958...

in 2004.

Provosts

Provost (religion)

A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...

of the cathedral are buried in another chamber. Other members of the cathedral chapter are now buried in a special section at the Zentralfriedhof

Zentralfriedhof

The Zentralfriedhof is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, largest by number of interred in Europe and most famous cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries.-Name and location:...

.

The Ducal Crypt

Ducal Crypt (Vienna)

The Ducal Crypt is a mausoleum under the chancel of the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria. It holds 78 containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty.-History:...

located under the chancel

Chancel

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

holds 78 bronze containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg

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. By 1754 the small rectangular chamber was overcrowded with 12 sarcophagi and 39 urns, so the area was expanded with an oval chamber being added adjacent to the east end of the rectangular one. In 1956 the two chambers were renovated and their http://www.deca-forum.net/deca-cgi/getdoc.pl?DEF=c%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Chida;DATEN=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cdata;THE=C%3A%5Cdata%5Cdeca%5Cidx;USER=bild;DOK_TPL=deca_doc.tpl;LIST_TPL=deca_list.tpl;FCT=g;iftxt=Pummerin%20;N_ftxt=0;R_ftxt=%3D;ikufo=;N_kufo=1;R_kufo=%3D;i024=wien;N_024=2;R_024=%3D;i031=;N_031=3;R_031=%3D;i029=;N_029=4;R_029=%3D;iauen=;N_auen=5;R_auen=%3D;i039=;N_039=6;R_039=%3D&KEY=fot%20w0008329contents] were rearranged. The sarcophagi of Duke Rudolf IV and his wife were placed upon a pedestal and the 62 urns containing organs were moved from the two rows of shelves around the new chamber to cabinets in the original one.

Organs

St Stephen's Cathedral has an old organ

Pipe organ

The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...

tradition. The first organ

Pipe 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 by the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n firm Rieger

Rieger Orgelbau

Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian firm of organ builders, known generally as Rieger. The firm was founded by Franz Rieger. From 1873 it was known as Rieger & Söhne, and from 1879 as Gebrüder Rieger, after his sons took over. At the end of World War II, the firm was nationalised by the Czech government...

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

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 porous limestone

Limestone

is subject to weathering, but coating it with a sealer like silicone would simply trap moisture inside the stone and cause it to crack faster when the water freezes.
The permanent Dombauhütte (Construction Department) uses the latest scientific techniques (including laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

cleaning of delicate features on stonework), and is investigating a process that would impregnate the cavities within the stone with something that would keep water from having a place to infiltrate.

The most visible current repair project is a multi-year renovation of the tall south tower, for which scaffolding has been installed. Fees from advertising on the netting around the scaffolding were defraying some of the costs of the work, but the concept of such advertising was controversial and has been discontinued. 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

Relief

of Christ in Gethsemane

Gethsemane

Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...

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, but the new system uses apparatus in many different locations so that there is little moving airflow to carry damaging particles. The church is now heated to around 10 °C (50 °F).

Some of the architectural drawings date from the Middle Ages and are on paper 15 ft long and too fragile to handle. Laser measurements of the ancient cathedral have now been made so that a digital 3-dimensional virtual model of the cathedral now exists in its computers, and detailed modern plans can be output at will. When weathered stonework needs to be repaired or replaced, the computerized system can create life-sized models to guide the nine full-time stonemasons on staff in the on-site workshops against the north wall of the cathedral.

Stephansdom in popular culture

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

The Third Man

The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...

, Burnout 3. The cathedral is also depicted on the Austrian 10 cent euro coins

10 cent euro coins

10 cent euro coins have a value of one tenth of a euro and are composed of an alloy called nordic gold. All coins have a common reverse side and country-specific national sides...

and on the packaging of the Manner

Manner

Manner is a line of confectionery from the Austrian conglomerate, Josef Manner & Comp AG. The corporation, founded in 1890, produces a wide assortment of confectionery products...

-Schnitten wafer treat.
In 2008, Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...

performed a concert promoting her latest album, Symphony
Symphony (album)
Symphony is an album from the English Soprano singer Sarah Brightman, released in January 2008 . This classical crossover album is a contrast to her previous collaboration with producer Frank Peterson, 2003's Harem; using more Gothic influences instead of Eastern."Running" was the IAAF's Green...

, which was recorded for a TV broadcast and a further DVD release in late September.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

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&Rollinger choir stalls], however, could not be saved. Rebuilding began immediately, with a limited reopening on 12 December 1948 and a full reopening on 23 April 1952.

Towers

Roof

Bells

Fixtures on the outside walls

Altars

Maria Pötsch Icon

Pulpit

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Chapels

Tombs, catacombs and crypts

Organs

Conservation and restoration

Stephansdom in popular culture

See also

External links