Apostles and Martyrs
Domkirche St. Stephen in Stephansplatz, Wien.
My first sight of a Viennese church was Saturday, June 11th. My roommate and I took the subway to the Stephansplatz station. As we rose up from the subway station on the escalator, I caught sight of St. Stephan’s Cathedral. The enormity took my breath away. After catching my breath and picking my jaw up off the ground, I snapped a couple photos. My decision to attend Mass there the next day was an easy one.
The next morning, I got to the cathedral a few minutes early. Upon entering the church, there is a space where tourists can stand and look around, light candles, and observe. Next there is a gate where people can actually go in to attend the Mass. A little doubtful that I was actually allowed to participate in such a stunning venue, I approached a young man standing at the gate and asked if I could go in.
“For Mass?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then please!” he smiled and waved me in.
Domkirche St. Stephan is a huge space built with Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The initial construction was finished in 1160, but very little from the original building remains. Large portions were added, expanded, or repaired over the next few hundred years, and renovations continue into the present. That Sunday, the music was provided by an organist and by a full orchestra and choir playing a Mass by Joseph Haydn. The service was in German and I understood very little except for the regular prayers and responses and the words for “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” a frequent occurrence because this was Trinity Sunday.
A view down the center aisle. The crucifix is in the center of the church, and behind the altar is a painting of the stoning of St. Stephan
St. Stephan’s Cathedral: The old pulpit, the new organ console, the orchestra and choir after Mass, the Wiener Neustädter Altar, the organ loft (which is just one of several organs in the church), and a painting of the crucifixion
It was really quite incredible to see this ancient, beautiful space used for its originally intended purpose - the worship of God. I’ve sometimes thought that because they are such a draw for tourists, old churches like this must also be commercialized and more museum-like rather than functional churches. But that was absolutely not the case. St. Stephen’s often provides space for classical concerts charging 30 to 60 euros per ticket, but Sunday morning its doors are open to any churchgoer for free. It also offers confession from 7 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. daily. The artwork inside and outside these churches tells Biblical stories in an accessible way so that without a preacher, books, or translator, they can proclaim the work of Christ. Reading through the church websites (albeit in my very poor German or Google translate app), I can see that functioning as a church takes precedence over functioning as a tourist destination.
I stepped inside a few other churches last week too. Karlskirche, named for St. Charles Borromeo, is close to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and features a beautiful pool outside. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is downtown and has a very different feeling than the Catholic churches - darker design and weightier, with an explosion of icons. St. Ruprechtskirche overlooks the canal which branches from the Danube and runs through the city. It is likely the oldest church preserved in the city with stones dating back to the early 12th century. Legend puts its founding at 740 AD. I come from a family of German Rupprechts, so the name was a fun connection.
St. Ruprecht’s Church: the bell tower outside, the altar inside, and his image out in the plaza
This past Sunday I attended Peterskirche, a Baroque-style church finished in 1733. The interior is lavishly ornamented, and the center artwork shows Peter and John healing the lame man at the temple gate. An enormous organ in the loft provided the music, along with a choir and a congregation which sang along quite well. There were seven huge paintings in the church along with many smaller ones. The skeleton of a Roman martyr was visible in a glass coffin on one side of the church, inconspicuous except for bejeweled clothing.
A Roman Catholic Mass in an older physical space feels different from Mass in the USA. It is mind boggling how much money, time, and effort went into the building of these European churches. I think most modern churches would prioritize other things, devoting resources to helping people and spreading the gospel; humans are more valuable than buildings after all. But when looking up at an enormous dome or towering cathedral ceiling, viewing hundreds of pieces of gospel-saturated artwork sculpted into every nook and cranny, I cannot deny what the beauty of these churches concretizes: the value my spiritual ancestors placed on the glory of God and the gift of Jesus Christ with His presence in the Eucharist.
The old pulpit (far left), and side of the church
The remains of a Roman martyr
The dome interior, with the coronation of Mary featured prominently
Next up, some findings from the manuscripts and a debate over the placement of an “arco” mark.