Johannsspitalkirche

The Johannsspitalkirche stands on the grounds of the former Salzburg general hospital in the Mülln district. Built in the early 18th century, it is a single-aisled baroque church with a two-storey porch facing south. The façade is framed by giant pilasters and three tall rectangular doors topped by iron grilles, one bearing the coat of arms of its founder, Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun. The church’s interior is noted for delicate stucco work by Diego Francesco Carlone, including frames, garlands and cartouches. The main altar, designed by Heinz Tesar, rises on an oval terrace with side stairs. Two side altars hold paintings by Johann Michael Rottmayr from 1709, one showing the preaching of John the Baptist and the other the martyrdom of Saint Barbara. A small crypt lies beneath the raised altar platform, designed to resemble a grotto with pebble inlays and rough-hewn stone. The crypt’s altar holds a carved Pietà flanked by Saint Peter and Saint Mary Magdalene. The church also retains the old Mülln town gate, built under Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, which was incorporated into the hospital complex.