St.-Jakob-Kirche

The St Jakob-Kirche stands in Penzing, the 14th district of Vienna, on Einwanggasse. It is the oldest church in its deanery and dedicated to Saint James the Elder. A late-12th-century chapel once stood on the site before a larger Gothic church rose in the 14th century. The building has survived sieges, fires and wars, including damage during the Turkish attacks of 1529 and 1683. The church shows layers of history in every part. In 1758 Hofbaumeister Matthias Gerl, acting on Maria Theresia’s orders, turned the building Baroque, moving the main door to the west and adding a new presbytery. The high altar of 1776 was donated by Cardinal Christoph Anton von Migazzi, with an altarpiece from the school of Franz Anton Maulbertsch. The organ, installed between 1774 and 1776, was rebuilt in 1981 but still carries its original baroque casing. Outside, a late-Gothic tabernacle pillar from the 15th century once lit the old cemetery. After the graveyard closed in 1879 it was moved to face the west door. Inside, side altars show paintings by Johann Nepomuk Höfel from 1845, while the tower bells date from 1953 and 1959. The church remains a living parish, home to the KISI Club and the 38th Scout group.