Freelance Copywriting & Original Photography
Freelance Copywriting & Original Photography
It may not have the Baroque panache of Graz’s Mariahilferkirche, but the Minoritenkirche (“Minorites Church”) has a substantial pedigree. The first foundation stone was laid in A.D. 1276 by the powerful Ottokar II of Bohemia. When Ottokar was killed in battle by the forces of Rudolf of Habsburg, the “little
You can forgive Vienna for the stubby bell tower on the Minoritenkirche. The more elegant spire was knocked off, not once, but twice, in the Austro-Turkish wars. At that point, I think everyone gave up on aesthetics. Palace Bonus: The Minoritenplatz (“Minorites Square”) is surrounded by aristocratic city-palaces, including the
The Gothic exterior of the Minoritenkirche has a distinctly Frenchified feel. Some sources have attributed its style to Jacobus Parisiensis (a.k.a. Fra Giacomo of Paris), the confessor to Duke Albrecht II. It was Duke Albrecht who added the Gothic Choir to the Stephansdom. Tympanum Bonus: If you look at the
The Minoritenkirche has been depicted by many artists, including – sadly – Adolf Hitler. Prior to World World One, he created a pen-and-ink drawing of the church.
Minorites (a.k.a. Friars Minor Conventual) are heirs to St. Francis of Assisi and disciples such as St. Anthony of Padua. Both of these men are honored in statues beside the door of the Mariahilferkirche. St. Francis is one of my favorite Catholics – a pleasure-seeker and a soldier who renounced
Like the Dreifaltigkeitskirche, the gable on the Mariahilferkirche depicts the Archangel Michael sending Lucifer to hell.