Piaristenkirche church description and photos - Austria: Krems (Topic)

Piaristenkirche church description and photos - Austria: Krems. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Piaristenkirche.

Photo and description

A covered staircase leading from the Parish Square - Pfarrplatz leads to the Piaristenkirche church, which dominates the old town of Krems. It is considered the oldest city temple, for it was first mentioned in 1014.

In the middle of the 15th century, a new Gothic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on the remains of an old Romanesque church consecrated in honor of St. Stephen. The estimated construction date is indicated above the portal - 1477. In 1508, the church underwent reconstruction, as a result of which the facades of the temple acquired a late Gothic appearance. The Piaristenkirche resembles a Viennese cathedral in its appearance, therefore the Kremlin church is often called the "sister" of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

During the Reformation, Krems became Protestant. Respectively, and all the churches in the city were taken over by the evangelists. During the years of the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits returned to the city, the new owners of the Church of the Virgin Mary. In the first half of the 17th century, they built their monastery and college near the temple. In 1773, Empress Maria Theresa gave the Jesuit monastery, including the college, to the Piarist monks. In 1871, a secondary school was opened here. The Church of the Virgin Mary has since become known as Piaristenkirchen.

The interior of the temple still retains details typical of Gothic sacral buildings, although most of the decorative elements are still made in the Baroque style. The main altar was built in 1756 according to designs by Jacob Christoph Schletterer. The altarpiece is by Martin Johan Schmidt. He also painted the chapel of St. Francis Xavier and created altarpieces for the side altars.

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Topic: Piaristenkirche church description and photos - Austria: Krems.