Minorite Church (Minoritenkirche) description and photos - Austria: Vienna (Topic)

Minorite Church (Minoritenkirche) description and photos - Austria: Vienna. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Minoritenkirche.

Photo and description

The Minorite Church is located in the center of the Austrian capital, northwest of the Hofburg Palace. The Minorites were a branch of the Franciscan monastic order. Minorites ended up in Vienna at the invitation of Leopold VI in 1224.

The Minorite Church was founded in 1275, becoming one of the first Gothic churches in Vienna. The first changes in the architecture of the building took place rather quickly: in 1328, a chapel was built in honor of Saint Louis IX. The chapel had a separate entrance and was not connected to the church. However, the unification took place already in 1340, creating a single three-aisled building.

For many years, the church existed unchanged. Twice during the Turkish sieges in 1529 and 1683, the tower was partially destroyed. Strong changes took place during the eviction of the Minorites due to the policies of Emperor Joseph II in 1782. The church was proclaimed Italian and consecrated in honor of Maria Snezhnaya, under whose patronage the church still exists today. The Minorites took with them to Wimpassing a cross with an icon of Christ, which was located above the altar. An exact copy of such a cross is in St. Stephen's Cathedral.

At the beginning of the 19th century, a mosaic copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" was installed in the church. The mosaic was commissioned by Napoleon for the Belvedere, however, it turned out to be too large for those interiors. When the mosaic was completed, Napoleon was overthrown, so Franz I had to pay for the order.

Interestingly, during the construction of the metro in the 1980s, the foundation of a chapel was discovered, which is located next to the church.

We also recommend reading Steinbach am Attersee description and photos - Austria: Lake Attersee

Topic: Minorite Church (Minoritenkirche) description and photos - Austria: Vienna.