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English:
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of
Saint Stephen and All Saints, Vienna, Austria.
Deutsch:
Dom-und-Metropolitankirche zu
Sankt Stephan und allen Heiligen,
Wien, Österreich.
Photo: 8 October 2017.
Source: Own work.
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Share Alike 4.0 International licence.
Author: C.Stadler/Bwag
(Wikimedia Commons)
Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless stated otherwise.
The sides of the Pulpit erupt like stylised Petals from the Stem supporting it. On those Gothic Petals are relief portraits of the four original Doctors of The Church (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory the Great and Saint Jerome).
The hand-rail of the Stairway curving its way around the Pillar has fantastic decorations of Toads and Lizards biting each other, symbolising the fight of good against evil. At the top of the Stairs, a Stone Puppy protects the Preacher from intruders.
Beneath the Stairs, is one of the most-beloved symbols of the Cathedral: A Stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor “gawking” (German: Gucken) out of a window (German: Fenster) and thus famously known as the “Fenstergucker”.
The Chisel in the subject’s hand, and the Stonemason’s signature Mark on the Shield above the window, led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.
Chapels.
There are several Chapels in Saint Stephen’s Cathedral:
Saint Catherine’s Chapel, in the base of the South Tower, is the Baptismal Chapel.
The fourteen-sided Baptismal Font was completed in 1481, and its Cover was formerly the Sound-Board above the famed Pulpit in the Church.
Its Marble Base shows the four Evangelists, while the Niches of the Basin feature Christ, the twelve Apostles, and Saint Stephan.
St. Barbara's Chapel, in the base of the North Tower, is used for meditation and Prayer.
St. Eligius’s Chapel, in the South-East corner, is open for Prayer. The Altar is dedicated to Saint Valentine, whose body is in another Chapel, upstairs.
St. Bartholomew's Chapel, above Saint Eligius’ Chapel, has recently been restored.
The Chapel of The Cross, in the North-East corner, holds the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Vault containing three coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings.
The funeral of Mozart occurred here on 6 December 1791. The beard on the crucified Christ above the Altar is of real hair. The Chapel is not open to the public.
Saint Valentine’s Chapel, above the Chapel of The Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds of Relics belonging to the “Stephansdom” (Saint Stephen’s Cathedral), including a piece of the tablecloth from The Last Supper.
A large Chest holds the bones of Saint Valentine that were moved here about a Century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the South of The High Altar.
Tombs, Catacombs, and Crypts.
Since its earliest days, the Cathedral has been surrounded by Cemeteries dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of nobles and commoners.
It has always been an honour to be buried inside a Church, close to the physical presence of the Saints, whose Relics are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near, but outside, the Church.
Inside the Cathedral, in the Chapel of The Cross (North-West corner of the Cathedral) are the tombs of Prince Eugene of Savoy, Commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, and of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was Canonically erected on 18 January 1469, in the Apostles’ Choir (South-East corner of the Cathedral).
The construction of Emperor Frederick’s tomb spanned over forty-five years, starting twenty-five years before his death.
The impressive sarcophagus is made of the unusually dense Red Marble-like Stone found at the Adnet quarry.
Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his Coronation Regalia surrounded by the Coats-of-Arms of all of his dominions. The tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of Mediæval sculptural art.
PART TEN FOLLOWS.
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