Karlskirche

Vienna’s Karlskirche is regarded as the city’s finest Baroque church. Fischer von Erlach designed it after the plague of 1713; its mighty dome and two striking triumphal columns dominate Karlsplatz.

The interior dazzles with dome frescoes that visitors can view up close via a panorama lift. Dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, the church is a highlight of European Baroque architecture.

The Karlskirche stands in Vienna’s Karlsplatz, a Baroque church dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo. It occupies the border between the Wieden district and the Innere Stadt, the city centre. The church was commissioned after the plague of 1713 by Emperor Charles VI, who vowed to build it as thanks for the saint’s protection. Construction began in 1716 under Anton Erhard Martinelli, and was completed in 1737 by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The elder Fischer von Erlach blended Greek temple portico, Roman columns and Baroque towers in one façade. The church’s iconography links Borromeo with imperial power through reliefs and frescoes. Above the entrance, the pediment shows the cardinal virtues and the saint himself. Two flanking columns carry spiral reliefs of his life, recalling Jerusalem’s pillars and the Pillars of Hercules. Inside, Johann Michael Rottmayr’s dome fresco depicts Borromeo’s intercession with the Virgin Mary, surrounded by the cardinal virtues. Side chapels hold works by Daniel Gran, Sebastiano Ricci and others, while the high altarpiece shows the saint’s ascension. Visitors enter beneath a dome raised on a high drum, its light directed through arch openings. Marble and gold leaf dominate the colour scheme, with a round glass window above the altar bearing the Hebrew name of God. The pulpit, restored in 2007, features rich carvings and a theatrical canopy. Nearby, the Spitaler Gottesacker once held Antonio Vivaldi’s lost grave, and the church still hosts concerts in his memory.