Cathedral And Metropolitan Church Of Saint Stephen And All Saints, Vienna, Austria. (Part Four).

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.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

Author: C.Stadler/Bwag

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless stated otherwise.

On 12 April 1945, civilian looters lit fires in nearby shops as Soviet Army troops entered the City. The winds carried the fire to the Cathedral, where it severely damaged the roof, causing it to collapse. 

Fortunately, protective brick walls built around the Pulpit, Frederick III’s tomb, and other treasures, minimised damage to the most valuable artworks. 

However, the Rollinger Choir Stalls, carved in 1487, couldn’t be saved. Reconstruction began after World War II, with a limited re-opening 12 December 1948 and a full re-opening on 23 April 1952.

The Church was dedicated to Saint Stephen, also the Patron of the Bishop’s Cathedral, in Passau.

Built of Limestone, the Cathedral is 107 metres (351 ft) long, forty metres (130 ft) wide, and 136 metres (446 ft) tall at its highest point. 

Over the Centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the Church have given it a Black colour, but recent restoration projects have again returned some portions of the building to their original White.

Standing at 136 meters (446 ft) tall and affectionately referred to by the City’s inhabitants as “Steffl” (a diminutive form of “Stephen”), Saint Stephen’s Cathedral’s massive South Tower is its highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline. 

Its construction lasted 65 years, from 1368 to 1433. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defence of the walled City, and it even contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the Tower at night and rang the Bells if a fire was spotted in the City. 

English:

The Nave, Saint Stephen’s Cathedral,

Vienna, Austria.

Deutsch:

Blick von der Empore über das Mittelschiff zum Hochaltar im Stephansdom in der österreichischen Bundeshauptstadt Wien.

Photo: 8 October 2017.

Source: Own work.

Accreditation:

© C.Stadler/Bwag; CC-BY-SA-4.0

Author: C.Stadler/Bwag

(Wikimedia Commons)

PART FIVE FOLLOWS.