Places of Interest in Vienna

Church of St. Augustine (Augustinerkirche)

Augustinerstraße 3, A-1010, Wien, Tel: 533 7099, U-Bahn: Herrengasse

The original church was constructed through the patronage of Duke Friedrich der Schöne (Handsome) during the 1330s to plans by the architect Dietrich von Pirn. Built in a Gothic style for the Augustinian monks who had a monastery nearby, it was enlarged over the following centuries. In 1634, it became the Imperial Court’s church, with the tower being added not long after in 1652. The church served as the venue for a number of grand Habsburg weddings, including those of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Josef and Elizabeth (Sissi).

Inside, visitors will immediately find their attention drawn to the "Christinendenkmal", a marble tomb cum sculpture designed by the Italian classicist sculptor, Antonio Canova, as a memorial to Maria Christina (daughter of Empress Maria Theresa). The tomb is empty, however, as Maria Christina is buried in the Imperial Vault in the Kapuziner Kirche.

Elsewhere, the Georgskapelle was originally conceived as a chapel for the Order of the Knights of St George, but is now the resting place of Imperial dignitaries. The tomb of Leopold II, as with that of Maria Christina, is empty as he was laid to rest in the Kapuzinerkirche.

Just along from the Georgskapelle is the Loretto chapel, within which is the Heart Vault (Herzgrüftel) where 54 silver urns hold the hearts of numerous Hapsburg rulers - the oldest of which belongs to Mathias, who breathed his last in 1619. In total, the assembly includes those of nine emperors and eight empresses. Note: the heart vault can only be visited by prior appointment.

The final point of interest here is the organ, guilded in Rococo style, which was originally housed in the Schwarzspanierkirche, a church that was damaged beyond repair by strong winds. It was at this organ that Austrian composer and Imperial Court organist Anton Bruckner composed and premiered his Mass No. 3.

View Larger Map

The main image accompanying this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and is taken from the Wikipedia article "Augustinerkirche".