Votivkirche
Encyclopedia
The Votive Church in Vienna
, Austria, is one of the most important neo-Gothic religious architectural sites in the world.
in the Alsergrund
district near the University of Vienna
, the origin of the church derives from a knife-attack on Emperor Franz Joseph
by Hungarian nationalist János Libényi on February 18, 1853. The emperor was taking a stroll on a city-bastion
with one of his officers, Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell
von Tyrconnell, when Libényi approached him from behind and stabbed the emperor in the neck. Fortunately, Franz Joseph almost always wore a uniform with a high collar, which was made of very sturdy material and which almost completely enclosed the neck. Even though Franz Joseph was wounded and bleeding, this collar saved his life. Count O'Donnell struck Libényi down with his sabre. O'Donnell, who up until then was a count only by virtue of his Irish nobility, was afterwards made a Count of the Habsburg
Empire and received the Commander's Cross of the Royal Order of Leopold. His customary O'Donnell arms were augmented by the initials and shield of the ducal House of Austria and also the double-headed eagle of the Empire. These arms are emblazoned on the portico of no. 2 Mirabel Platz in Salzburg
, where O'Donnell later built his residence. Another witness who happened to be nearby, the butcher Joseph Ettenreich, quickly overwhelmed Libényi. For his deed he was later elevated to nobility by Franz Joseph and became Joseph von Ettenreich. Libényi was subsequently put on trial and condemned to death for attempted regicide
. He was executed on the Simmeringer Heide.
After the unsuccessful attack on February 18, 1853, Franz Joseph's brother Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph
, the later emperor of Mexico
, called upon the community for donations to a new church on the site of the attack. The church was to be a votive offering
for the rescue of Franz Joseph and "a monument of patriotism and of devotion of the people to the Imperial House."
The church plans were established in an architectural competition
in April 1854. 75 projects from the Austrian-Hungarian
empire, German lands, England
, and France
were submitted. Original plans included to include the neighbouring Allgemeines Krankenhaus and create a campus fashioned after the plans of Oxford and Cambridge University
. Another plan was to create a national cathedral for all the people of the empire. However because of spiralling costs and the changing political situation, this plan had to be downsized. The jury choose the project of Heinrich von Ferstel
(1828–1883), who, at the time, was only 26. He chose to build the cathedral in the neo-Gothic
style, borrowing heavily from the architecture of Gothic
French cathedrals. Because of this concept, many people mistake this church for an original Gothic church. However, the Votivkirche has not become a servile imitation of a French Gothic cathedral, but shows a new and individual concept. Furthermore it was built by one single architect, supervising the whole construction, and not by several generations, as the cathedrals in the Middle Ages.
Construction began in 1856, and it was dedicated twenty-six years later on April 24, 1879, the occasion of the silver jubilee
of the royal couple.
The church was one of the first buildings to be built on the Ringstraße
. Since the city-walls still existed at that point, the church had no natural parishioners. At that time it was meant as a garrison church, serving the many soldiers that had come to Vienna in the wake of 1848 revolution.
The church is not located directly on the boulevard but along a broad square (the Sigmund Freud park) in front of it. The Votivkirche is made out of white sandstone
, similar to the Stephansdom, and therefore has to be constantly renovated and protected from air-pollution and acid rain
, which tends to colour and erode the soft stone.
The church has undergone extensive renovations after being badly damaged during World War II.
Since its architectural style is quite similar to the Stephansdom
, it often gets mistaken for it by tourists. In reality more than 700 years lie between the two churches.
The design of this church has been closely imitated in the Gedächtniskirche in Speyer
, Germany and the Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk
in Oostende, Belgium.
The interior consists of a nave
and two aisle
s, crossed by a transept. This transept has the same height as the nave, while the aisles are only half as high and half as wide as the nave. The side chapels in the transept are as high and wide as the aisles. The choir
is surrounded by an ambulatory
with apsidiole
s and a Lady chapel.
This imposing church constitutes a harmonious whole through the proportions, arrangement, spaciousness and unity of style of all the elements.
The Emperor window, donated by the City of Vienna, depicted the delivrance of the Emperor, saved from assassination by Maximilian Graf O'Donell von Tyrconnell, but this original theme was lost when the windows were destroyed during World War II. The replacement window was restored by the City of Vienna in 1964, albeit modified to reflect the changing times. The detail of the actual moment of the Emperor's deliverance was lost, and although otherwise faithful to the original design, the replacement took on a less monarchical and more religious tone.
and a superimposed ciborium
(or baldacchino). The artist Joseph Glasser
drew his inspiration for the ciborium from examples in the Italian Gothic, such as the Basilica of St. John Lateran
or Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
, both in Rome
.
The marble altar is decorated with panels with glass mosaic inlay
s work. and is supported by six alabaster
columns.
A gilded retable
stands on top of the altar. Below, on both sides of the tabernacle
, it depicts some enameled
scenes from the Old Testament : the sacrifice of Abraham
and the dream of Joseph
. Above the tabernacle is a niche with a crucifix. The outer side niches contain on the left side : statues of the patron saint of the church : cardinal Charles Borromeo
, and the founder, bishop Maximilian of Lorch; on the right side : bishop Hilary of Poitiers
and Bernard of Clairvaux
.
The baldachin is supported by four massive red granite columns. It opens up into four pointed arches, crowned with gables and flanked by pinnacle
s with statues of saints in their niches. The cross vault is painted with allegorical representations of the four cardinal virtues
, while the Holy Spirit
, in the form of a dove, is portrayed on the boss
In the spandrel
on the front one can see a mosaic of Mary trampling on the snake. This was a gift of pope Pius IX. In the spire
, on top of the baldachin, stands Christ, surrounded by four angels.
The four side chapels in the transept are as high and wide as the aisles : the Rosary chapel, the Chapel of the Cross, the Bishops’ chapel and the baptistry. They form side aisles in the transept, giving the strange impression that the transept is composed of three aisles. Each of these four transept chapels display on their wall pillars four statues of saints. The famous polychrome Antwerp altar in Late-Gothic style (ca. 1530) was in the Rosary chapel till 1986, but is now located in the Museum. The Renaissance
sarcophagus
of Nicholas, Graf von Salm
(defender of Vienna during the Turkish siege in 1529) stands in the baptistry. It was set up as a token of gratitude by emperor Ferdinand I
.
stands on six marble pillars. The front panels show us in the middle a preaching Christ, flanked on both sides by the Fathers of the Church: St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. Jerome and St. Ambrose. These half-reliefs are framed inside sunken medaillons with a gilded mosaic background. Four pillars support the wooden soundboard and on top a spire with a statue of John the Baptist
. And just as the sculptor of the Stephansdom
has been portrayed under the pulpit of that church, the architect of the Votivkirche, Heinrich Ferstel, has been portrayed under this pulpit by Viktor Tilgner.
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, is one of the most important neo-Gothic religious architectural sites in the world.
Origin
Located on RingstraßeRingstraße
The Ringstraße is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria and is one of its main sights...
in the Alsergrund
Alsergrund
Alsergrund is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria . It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. The area is densely populated, with a lot of government-built housing. According to the census of 2001, there were...
district near the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, the origin of the church derives from a knife-attack on Emperor Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
by Hungarian nationalist János Libényi on February 18, 1853. The emperor was taking a stroll on a city-bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
with one of his officers, Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell
Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell
Maximilian Karl Lamoral Graf O’Donnell von Tyrconnell was an Austrian officer and civil servant who became famous when he saved the life of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria...
von Tyrconnell, when Libényi approached him from behind and stabbed the emperor in the neck. Fortunately, Franz Joseph almost always wore a uniform with a high collar, which was made of very sturdy material and which almost completely enclosed the neck. Even though Franz Joseph was wounded and bleeding, this collar saved his life. Count O'Donnell struck Libényi down with his sabre. O'Donnell, who up until then was a count only by virtue of his Irish nobility, was afterwards made a Count of 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...
Empire and received the Commander's Cross of the Royal Order of Leopold. His customary O'Donnell arms were augmented by the initials and shield of the ducal House of Austria and also the double-headed eagle of the Empire. These arms are emblazoned on the portico of no. 2 Mirabel Platz in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, where O'Donnell later built his residence. Another witness who happened to be nearby, the butcher Joseph Ettenreich, quickly overwhelmed Libényi. For his deed he was later elevated to nobility by Franz Joseph and became Joseph von Ettenreich. Libényi was subsequently put on trial and condemned to death for attempted regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
. He was executed on the Simmeringer Heide.
After the unsuccessful attack on February 18, 1853, Franz Joseph's brother Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, the later emperor of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, called upon the community for donations to a new church on the site of the attack. The church was to be a votive offering
Votive offering
A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural...
for the rescue of Franz Joseph and "a monument of patriotism and of devotion of the people to the Imperial House."
History
Architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a special type of competition in which an organization or government body that plans to build a new building asks for architects to submit a proposed design for a building. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals...
in April 1854. 75 projects from the Austrian-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
empire, German lands, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were submitted. Original plans included to include the neighbouring Allgemeines Krankenhaus and create a campus fashioned after the plans of Oxford and Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Another plan was to create a national cathedral for all the people of the empire. However because of spiralling costs and the changing political situation, this plan had to be downsized. The jury choose the project of Heinrich von Ferstel
Heinrich von Ferstel
thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel (July 7, 1828, Vienna - 14 July 1883, Grinzing, near...
(1828–1883), who, at the time, was only 26. He chose to build the cathedral in the neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, borrowing heavily from the architecture of 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....
French cathedrals. Because of this concept, many people mistake this church for an original Gothic church. However, the Votivkirche has not become a servile imitation of a French Gothic cathedral, but shows a new and individual concept. Furthermore it was built by one single architect, supervising the whole construction, and not by several generations, as the cathedrals in the Middle Ages.
Construction began in 1856, and it was dedicated twenty-six years later on April 24, 1879, the occasion of the silver jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
of the royal couple.
The church was one of the first buildings to be built on the Ringstraße
Ringstraße
The Ringstraße is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria and is one of its main sights...
. Since the city-walls still existed at that point, the church had no natural parishioners. At that time it was meant as a garrison church, serving the many soldiers that had come to Vienna in the wake of 1848 revolution.
The church is not located directly on the boulevard but along a broad square (the Sigmund Freud park) in front of it. The Votivkirche is made out of white sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, similar to the Stephansdom, and therefore has to be constantly renovated and protected from air-pollution and acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
, which tends to colour and erode the soft stone.
The church has undergone extensive renovations after being badly damaged during World War II.
Since its architectural style is quite similar to the Stephansdom
Stephansdom
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...
, it often gets mistaken for it by tourists. In reality more than 700 years lie between the two churches.
The design of this church has been closely imitated in the Gedächtniskirche in Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
, Germany and the Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk
Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk
Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk , the main church of Ostend, Belgium, is a Roman Catholic Neo-Gothic church.It is built on the ashes of a previous church that occupied the site. King Leopold II enthusiastically supported a plan to build a new and more magnificent church...
in Oostende, Belgium.
Description
The Votivkirche has the typical form of a Gothic cathedral :- a façade with two slimline towers and three gableGableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d portals with archivoltArchivoltAn archivolt is an ornamental molding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental moldings surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening...
s and a gallery with statues above the portals, - central portal twice as wide as the side portals
- a rose windowRose windowA Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
, crowned by the roof gable of the nave - belfries and a transeptTranseptFor 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...
spire - buttressButtressA buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, abutmentAbutmentAn abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s and flying buttressFlying buttressA 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...
es
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...
and two aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, crossed by a transept. This transept has the same height as the nave, while the aisles are only half as high and half as wide as the nave. The side chapels in the transept are as high and wide as the aisles. 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...
is surrounded by an ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
with apsidiole
Apsidiole
An apsidole or absidiale is a small or secondary apse, one of the apses on either side of the main apse in a triapsidal church, or one of the apse-chapels when they project on the exterior of the church, particularly if the projection resembles an apse in shape.Francis Bond says that the Norman...
s and a Lady chapel.
This imposing church constitutes a harmonious whole through the proportions, arrangement, spaciousness and unity of style of all the elements.
The Emperor window, donated by the City of Vienna, depicted the delivrance of the Emperor, saved from assassination by Maximilian Graf O'Donell von Tyrconnell, but this original theme was lost when the windows were destroyed during World War II. The replacement window was restored by the City of Vienna in 1964, albeit modified to reflect the changing times. The detail of the actual moment of the Emperor's deliverance was lost, and although otherwise faithful to the original design, the replacement took on a less monarchical and more religious tone.
Main altar
This impressive altar catches the eye with its gilded retableRetable
A retable is a framed altarpiece, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion table, on which are placed the cross, ceremonial candlesticks and other ornaments....
and a superimposed ciborium
Ciborium (architecture)
In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that stands over and covers the altar in a basilica or other church. It may also be known by the more general term of baldachin, though ciborium is often considered more correct...
(or baldacchino). The artist Joseph Glasser
Joseph Gasser von Valhorn
Joseph Gasser von Valhorn was an Austrian sculptor.He was first instructed by his father, a wood-carver, and later studied at the Academy, Vienna. In 1846 he went to Rome, where a government stipend enabled him to remain several years...
drew his inspiration for the ciborium from examples in the Italian Gothic, such as the Basilica of St. John Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
or Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
The Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls , commonly known as St Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of four churches that are the great ancient major basilicas or papal basilicas of Rome: the basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Peter's and Saint Paul Outside the Walls...
, both in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The marble altar is decorated with panels with glass mosaic inlay
Inlay
Inlay is a decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often coloured materials into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures that normally are flush with the matrix. In a wood matrix, inlays commonly use wood veneers, but other materials like shells, mother-of-pearl,...
s work. and is supported by six alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
columns.
A gilded retable
Retable
A retable is a framed altarpiece, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion table, on which are placed the cross, ceremonial candlesticks and other ornaments....
stands on top of the altar. Below, on both sides of the tabernacle
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
, it depicts some enameled
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
scenes from the Old Testament : the sacrifice of Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and the dream of Joseph
Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
. Above the tabernacle is a niche with a crucifix. The outer side niches contain on the left side : statues of the patron saint of the church : cardinal Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo
Charles Borromeo was the cardinal archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was a leading figure during the Counter-Reformation and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests...
, and the founder, bishop Maximilian of Lorch; on the right side : bishop Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary of Poitiers was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" and the "Athanasius of the West." His name comes from the Latin word for happy or cheerful. His optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints is 13...
and 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...
.
The baldachin is supported by four massive red granite columns. It opens up into four pointed arches, crowned with gables and flanked by pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s with statues of saints in their niches. The cross vault is painted with allegorical representations of the four cardinal virtues
Cardinal virtues
In Christian traditionthere are 4 cardinal virtues:*Prudence - able to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time*Justice - proper moderation between self-interest and the rights and needs of others...
, while the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, in the form of a dove, is portrayed on the boss
Boss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
In the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
on the front one can see a mosaic of Mary trampling on the snake. This was a gift of pope Pius IX. In the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
, on top of the baldachin, stands Christ, surrounded by four angels.
Transept
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...
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...
of Nicholas, Graf von Salm
Nicholas, Count of Salm
Nicholas, Count of Salm was a Holy Roman Empire Imperial senior military commander ....
(defender of Vienna during the Turkish siege in 1529) stands in the baptistry. It was set up as a token of gratitude by emperor Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
.
Pulpit
The hexagonal Neo-Gothic pulpitPulpit
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...
stands on six marble pillars. The front panels show us in the middle a preaching Christ, flanked on both sides by the Fathers of the Church: St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. Jerome and St. Ambrose. These half-reliefs are framed inside sunken medaillons with a gilded mosaic background. Four pillars support the wooden soundboard and on top a spire with a statue of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. And just as the sculptor of the Stephansdom
Stephansdom
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...
has been portrayed under the pulpit of that church, the architect of the Votivkirche, Heinrich Ferstel, has been portrayed under this pulpit by Viktor Tilgner.