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Karlskirche
St. Charles Borromeo
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach's designs won a competition to build the church just off the Ringstrasse. It was completed by his son in 1737. |
| This baroque masterpiece combines a mixture of influences: the (oval) dome and portico come from Greece and Rome; the columns and belltowers are reminders of the east.
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The spiral carvings around the columns tell of the life of St. Charles. He was a leader of the Counter-Reformation and reformed the morals and manners of the clergy. He was noted for his work with the sick and the poor, especially after the plague of 1576. His reforms provoked some hostility, but his influence was felt far outside his diocese. Charles was canonised in 1610. |
| Vienna always has something surprising: where else would you expect to find a sculpture by Henry Moore, but on the edge of a large pond in front of the Karlskirche?
"Hill Arches" was given as a present to the city by the sculptor in 1978. |
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The High Altar shows St. Charles on a cloud in heaven with angels and cherubs.
The detail below shows God represented in the triangle of the Trinity and the Hebrew name Yahweh.
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| The frescoes of the dome were painted by Johann Michael Rottmayr in 1725-30, and show the good works of St. Charles.
Normally one has to be content with viewing them from the ground, but this year they are being renovated from a platform high above the nave. Thoughtfully this has been opened to the public - access by lift for a fee. The frescoes are amazing and well worth a closer look. |
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Both these photographs are of the same fresco and show the tremendous skill of the artist in making the pictures appear in the correct perspective when seen from below. |
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| Frescoes and views from the top - click to see a larger version | ||
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