Building name: St. Stephen's Cathedral
Authors: Peter and Hans von Prachatitz, M. Knab, Hans Puxbaum
Years of construction: 1359-1511
Location: Vienna, Austria
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the most famous example of Gothic in Vienna, although it began to be built in the Romanesque style. This is not surprising if you know the history of the creation of the cathedral, the details of which were not fully clarified until the beginning of the 2000s. How has the architectural appearance of the building changed over the centuries? Why are the North and South towers of the cathedral not symmetrical? What is remarkable about St. Stephen's Cathedral in terms of exterior and interior? And what preserved the building during World War II? Read about this in our article ...
For a long time it was believed that the first church on the site where St. Stephen's Cathedral is now located was built in 1137. But in 2000, during excavations for the installation of a heating system, ancient burials were found underground. Examining them, scientists concluded that the first religious building was erected on this territory back in the IV century during the Roman Empire. As for the construction in 1137, it was a small Romanesque church. In this form, the building existed for a little over a hundred years and was destroyed by a strong fire.
After the fire, a three-nave Romanesque basilica was erected here, which was named after St. Stephen. Its construction was completed in 1263, and by 1340 the three-aisled Albert's choir, which have survived to this day, were added to the eastern part of the building. And the modern appearance of St. Stephen's Cathedral began to acquire in 1359, when Rudolf IV of Habsburg ordered the construction of a magnificent Gothic building. An interesting way of building it. New walls were built outside the old ones, and only when they were finished were the old ones dismantled. And the Albert's Choir was integrated into the new building.
The modern St. Stephen's Cathedral is made of limestone. The material was originally white, but over time it changes color under the influence of soot and dust. To restore the color, restoration work is periodically carried out. The cathedral is 107 meters long and 40 meters wide and rises 136 meters. It is at this height that the sphere with a double-headed eagle crowning the South Tower is located. The north tower was conceived to be symmetrical to the south, however, it has a height of only 68.3 meters. The fact is that during the construction it collapsed, and since the era of Gothic architecture was already approaching sunset, the architects made changes to the project. The domed North Tower served as a bell tower, where the giant Pummerin bell weighing more than 21 tons is located.
St. Stephen's Cathedral is also famous for its glazed roof tiles. 230,000 tiles form a multi-colored composition, in the center of which is the imperial symbol of the double-headed eagle. The cathedral is also decorated with unique stucco moldings, various sculptures and intricate bas-reliefs
But all this splendor could have been lost during the Second World War if the German officer Gerhard Klinkicht had obeyed the order to blow up St. Stephen's Cathedral. Although part of the building was damaged during the fighting, after the reconstruction in 1947-1952, the architectural appearance of the cathedral was restored.