This article focuses on the interesting history of St. Stephen’s Square in the heart of Vienna, the story of the ancient cathedral, and its design, both inside and out. You can find more comprehensive information about the attractions in and around the cathedral in the article “St. Stephen’s Cathedral – Attractions and Museums.”
St. Stephen’s Square (Stephansplatz)
If you look at a map of Vienna’s districts, you can see that the first and oldest district of the city is right in its center. At the very heart of this ancient district is St. Stephen’s Square (Stephansplatz). This is the square that surrounds the great cathedral, and you will have to pass through it to enter the cathedral.
Two ancient and central streets start from the square: Graben and Kärntner Strasse, which are bustling with luxury shops, restaurants, and cafes. Quite surprisingly, opposite the cathedral, there is a completely modern building called the Haas-Haus, which was built in 1990. Many of the city’s residents were not at all pleased with the construction of the building because, in their opinion, it detracts from the historical charm of the entire area. Despite the opposition, the modern building still stands and people still use it today for a luxury restaurant and offices. For many Viennese, it symbolizes the possibility of harmony between the old and the new.
Right under the square, a subway station called Stephansplatz provides easy and quick access to the heart of the Old City. In 1973, workers discovered the remains of an ancient medieval prayer room 12 meters below the ground during the construction of the station. It is possible that this room served as an ancient burial place or simply as an underground room of the church.
The Stock im Eisen Sculpture (Trunk in Iron)
At the corner of the Palais Equitable, at the edge of the square, encased in glass, there is a unique and ancient sculpture of a tree trunk with hundreds of nails hammered into it. Although other cities in Hungary and Romania have sculptures of this type, researchers have found this one to be the oldest ever. Its first mention appears as early as 1533.
According to researchers’ hypotheses, blacksmiths and their assistants who were setting out on journeys across the continent would hammer a nail into the tree trunk for good luck and protection. Nailing nails into crosses, stones, and trees to ask for protection and healing from God was a common custom, similar to the practice of throwing coins into a well to make a wish. At that time, nails were considered a sought-after commodity that people did not waste for no reason.
It’s worth passing by the Stock im Eisen sculpture; it is located at the corner where Kärntner Strasse and Graben meet.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the main Catholic cathedral of Vienna. The structure is beautifully decorated both outside and inside, and its appearance is most picturesque. Besides its impressive beauty, it is a historical building of paramount importance to the development of the city of Vienna.
The Story of the Cathedral
As early as the mid-12th century AD, Vienna became an important city, and the four small churches that existed then could not meet the needs of the residents. In 1137, leaders decided to build a larger parish church on land outside the city walls. The land likely belonged to an ancient Roman cemetery from the 4th century AD, which also contained earlier religious structures, even older than Vienna’s oldest church, St. Rupert’s Church, located a few hundred meters from the cathedral.
The original church building reached completion in 1160 in the Romanesque style. People dedicated it to Saint Stephen, a Jewish-Christian disciple of Rabban Gamliel the Elder, whom the Sanhedrin executed in 35 AD. Christians consider Stephen the first Christian martyr.
A large fire mostly destroyed the original church in 1258, leaving only its western part and towers standing. In 1263, builders erected a new, larger church on the same site, incorporating the ancient towers, which still exist today.
In 1304, King Albert I ordered an addition on the eastern side. Architects built it in the Gothic style and completed it during the reign of Duke Albert II, the king’s son. His son, Duke Rudolph IV, continued the expansion by adding a prayer section on the west side. Construction progressed from the mid-14th to the mid-15th century, and by its end, the new structure had nearly absorbed the original church. Workers completed the south tower in 1433 but never finished the north tower, begun in 1450, as planned. They halted all further expansion in 1511.
Interesting to Know:
During World War II, the German forces, seeing their imminent defeat, planned to completely destroy the cathedral. The order from the city’s commander was to shell the cathedral and destroy it to its foundations before the arrival of the Soviet soldiers. Fortunately, the officer responsible for carrying out the order did not execute it at all, and a fire that broke out in nearby buildings only damaged the church. Due to the fire, the cathedral’s roof collapsed. Workers began renovation work immediately after the war ended, and they restored the church to its former glory in the early 1950s, reopening it to the public in 1952 upon completion of the work.
Today, people consider the church one of the symbols of Vienna, and it appears in movies, series, and computer games. The mint features the church on 10-cent euro coins. The church is active, with prayers held during the week and on Sundays. Musical concerts are also held there.
The Cathedral’s Design: Exterior and Interior
Standing in front of the church, it’s hard to imagine how they actually built it in such an elaborate and special way. The exterior and interior design of the cathedral will leave you in awe of its splendor and magnificence. In this section, you can read a detailed explanation of the different parts of the cathedral.
The Exterior of the Cathedral
The cathedral stands built of light-colored limestone, but over the years, air pollution and car soot have darkened its walls. The building is large – 107 meters long, 40 meters wide, and at its highest point, it rises to a height of 136.7 meters.
The Cathedral’s Towers
One of the parts of the building that makes it so impressive is the south tower, which rises to a height of 136.7 meters. The locals call the tower “Steffl,” a diminutive of Stephen. The tower’s construction took 65 years – between 1368 and 1433. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the tower served as an observation post and defense for the old city walls. They even placed an apartment at the top of the tower for the guards who were stationed there.
Planners originally intended the north tower to be the same size as the impressive south tower, but this plan proved to be too ambitious. They never completed its construction as planned, and it rises to a height of only 68 meters.
The Entrance Gate
People call the main entrance to the church the Giant’s Gate (Riesentor). According to speculation, they gave this name to the gate because a giant mammoth bone hung above it in the Middle Ages. Above the gate, there is a wall decoration depicting Jesus with winged angels on either side. On both sides of the gate are two Romanesque towers, about 65 meters high. The towers and the Giant’s Gate are the oldest parts of the church.
The Cathedral Roof
One of the things that makes the cathedral so unique is undoubtedly its roof with its colorful and beautiful tiles. The roof measures 111 meters in length and holds 230,000 colorful tiles. The tiles on the south side of the cathedral form an image of a double-headed eagle, which was the symbol of the Austrian Empire and the House of Habsburg. On the north side of the roof, the colorful tiles form the coats of arms of the city of Vienna and the Republic of Austria. The roof of the cathedral is at such an angle that snow hardly covers it, and the rain always ensures that it is clean and polished.
The Cathedral’s Bells
The church has 23 bells, the largest of which is officially named Saint Mary and is located in the north tower. The great bell, weighing 20,130 kilograms, is the second largest in Europe! (After the bell of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany). Some of the bells ring for evening prayers or when there is a funeral, and some ring several times a year, mainly on special occasions like the New Year. All the bells in the cathedral are named after Christian saints.
It is said that Beethoven realized he was completely deaf when he saw birds flying rapidly from the cathedral’s belfry while he could not hear a thing.
A fire that broke out in 1945 destroyed several bells, and workers replaced them in the following years.
The Interior of the Cathedral
The interior design of the church is no less impressive than its exterior. The large prayer hall, decorated with ancient chandeliers, marble columns, and statues, is truly special and beautiful. You can enter the part of the prayer hall closest to the entrance without paying. In the inner part, you can see the altars, the pulpit, the chapels, the memorials, and the catacombs (burial chambers).
The Altars in the Church
The main prayer hall contains 18 altars, the most famous of which are the High Altar and the Wiener Neustädter Altar. The High Altar is located in the innermost part of the prayer hall. Constructed in the 17th century, the altar stands entirely of marble. Its decorations depict the story of the stoning of Saint Stephen, after whom the cathedral is named.
The second altar, the “Wiener Neustadt” altar, is located near the High Altar. This altar stood in a monastery in the city south of Vienna called Wiener Neustadt, and authorities moved it to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1885. Several paintings decorate the altar on multiple panels that attach to each other, depicting 72 saints from the Christian world.
The Pulpit
In the center of the prayer hall is the pulpit, designed in the Gothic style. Christian symbols of saints and animals symbolizing the struggle of good against evil decorate the pulpit. The pulpit is undoubtedly a work of art and stone sculpture of the highest level.
The Chapels and Memorials
Along the prayer hall, six decorated chapels honor various Christian saints. You can enter and see the chapels of St. Catherine, St. Barbara, St. Valentine, and St. Bartholomew.
The Tombs and Catacombs – Burial Chambers
As mentioned above, the cathedral stands in an area that contained an ancient cemetery from the Roman period. In addition, the church served as a burial place for the high and mighty. People considered it a great honor to be buried in the church and to rest close to Christian saints. Inside the church, you can see the tombs of some of Austria’s rulers, Prince Eugene of Savoy, and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The tombs are stunningly beautiful and exquisitely decorated, and their construction took many years. Bishops, dukes, and others who held important positions in the empire lie buried in the church’s crypts.
Adjacent to the main prayer hall are burial chambers, catacombs, which were in use until 1783. The bones of 11,000 people are in these burial chambers.
Curious to know what attractions and museums are in the vicinity of the cathedral? Read more in our comprehensive article “St. Stephen’s Cathedral – Attractions and Museums.”
