Chiesa di San Carlo Borromeo
Vienna
The Karlskirche is the most important Baroque church in Vienna. Emperor Charles VI built it to keep a vow of 1713; Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach designed it.
A vow and a hill
In 1713 Emperor Charles VI vowed to build a church to St. Charles Borromeo. A hill outside the walls was chosen, near the river Wien, where there were vineyards.
The foundation stone was laid on 4 February 1716. The church was consecrated in 1737.
The last work of a great architect
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach won the competition and began the work. It was his last church and his masterpiece. He died in 1723, and the building work went on for another sixteen years.
What to look at
The two giant columns have spiral reliefs showing the life of St. Charles. On the pediment you can see Vienna saved from the epidemic.
On top of the portico are figures with symbolic animals. In the pool in front of the church is a large modern sculpture.
Money from the whole empire
The church cost 304,000 florins, a huge sum at the time. All the countries ruled by the emperor contributed.
In 1738 the emperor attended the first solemn Mass. Two years later, right here, his own funeral Mass was held.
