(l-r: St. Stephen's main entrance; north tower; St. Stephen's and south tower)
As if marking Vienna’s city-center while offering glory to
God, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and its 450’ south tower is perhaps Vienna’s most
iconic image. The church we see today is the third one at this location and was
built between 1300-1450. The south tower alone took 65 years. Construction of
the north tower, originally designed as a twin, was abandoned around 1500
probably in order to fund the war effort against the invading Ottomans. The main
entrance is flanked by the “Heathen Towers,” two much smaller twins constructed
largely from stones of the original Roman church (circa. 1147). (Note: we were
told that the annual cost of renovations exceed €2,000,000 and that renovation of
one sort or another has been required every year since 1147!!!)
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| The south tower |
The history of the cathedral is the history of Vienna. St.
Stephen’s was the site of many important events including Mozart’s wedding to
Constanze Webber, the baptism of his children, and his funeral service. In
fact, St. Stephen’s has hosted the weddings of such luminaries as Ferdinand I,
who was none other than the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The church is the
final resting place of Frederick III, considered the “Father of Vienna”
(1415-1493) for turning a small village into a royal city.
The current appearance of St. Stephen’s owes a large debt
of gratitude to an insubordinate German army officer named Gerhard Klinkicht.
In 1945 as the Second World War drew to a close, it appeared that St. Stephen’s
would escape major damage. Most of its art treasures had been safely hidden in
salt mines, and even the great stained glass windows behind the main altar had
been dismantled and securely stored. As the Russians approached from the east,
Captain Klinkicht was ordered to shell the cathedral “to the ground.” Needless
to say, he did not. However, the roof of the cathedral did catch fire during an
Allied bombing raid. Thanks to the stone ceilings and the interior treasures
(such as Frederick III’s crypt) being encased in brick, major structural
damage was avoided.
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| The main altar |
Because Vienna’s vast musical heritage is so rich, we were
told that St. Stephen’s might host one or more of the free concerts available
at Christmastime. Sure enough, the small billboard beside the church listed the
names of Mozart, Haydn, and J.S. Bach to be performed at 10:15 on Christmas
morning. When we arrived at 10:00 for the “concert,” it seemed apparent that
thousands of people had the same idea. Even though many, many people were
already seated, we were among the last allowed to enter the church. Without
many seats available we selected two folding chairs near the rectory. Fate has
a funny way of caring for people…
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| The Choir |
It was obvious to anyone familiar with such things that this
was, in fact, not a concert at all. Yes, there was an orchestra, and yes there
was a huge choir. The program did list the master works being performed, but it
was abundantly clear we were attending a Catholic Mass—in a 600-year-old
church, in Vienna, on Weihnachten! I don’t read German, but even I could figure
out that “Kardinal Christoph Schöenborn” meant we would see a rock star,
and I was right.
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| The photo that got me "the nod" |
The mass started with a processional reserved for church
dignities like cardinals. The blaring organ music, the incense, and the
pageantry created an atmosphere of anticipation that seemed to lift the
faithful to their feet. There was no doubt as to whom they had come to see. As
Cardinal Schöenborn approached I raised my camera and released the shutter,
which immediately drew the attention of the eyes-forward attendants preceding
him. A gentle smile, and a slow nod of the head and the message was received:
prayers now; photos later.
Remember I said that fate has a funny way of caring for
people? The cardinal walked slowly and seemed to make eye-contact with every
person there. Eventually it was my turn. As he had done for everyone else, he
raised his right hand above his forehead, lowered it and crossed it from left
to right. He nodded. I nodded back.
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| The pulpit |
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| Cardinal Schoenborn |
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| Interior view |
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| Even the columns are works of art |
Wow.
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