Minoritenkirche
The Minoritenkirche whose formal name is Italiensche Nationalkirch Maria Schnee (in English, Greyfriars Church or the Minorite Church its formal name is “Italian National Church of Mary of the Snows”) is an old but beautiful church built in French Gothic style. It is found in the Altstadt or the First District of Vienna. The land on which it stands was given to the followers of Francis of Assisi in 1224. The first foundation stones were then laid by the famous Premysl Ottokar II in 1276. Later on it gained a supporter in the name of Duke Albrecht II. Between 1316 and 1328, the Gothci Ludwig choir was built to serve as a mausoleum during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The construction of the whole church was then completed in 1350. During the Austro-Turkish war, the top of its bell tower was damaged and was then replaced by a flat roof.
Joseph II was the one who gave the church to the Italians as a present so its name was then changed into Maria Schnee whose name was that of a destroyed nearby chapel. Some of the well-loved characteristics of this church are the high altar and the mosaic of The Last Supper. The neo-gothic high altar of this church was made by Ferdinand Hohenberg. It shows Madonna della Neve and is surrounded to the left by the statues of Otokar of Bohemia and of John the Baptist to the right and by the statues of St. John the Evangelist and Leopold Glorious. Meanwhile, the mosaic of The Last Supper is life-sized that it often leaves the sight-seers in awe. The magnificent masterpiece was made by Roman mosaic artist Giacomo Raffaelli. Another notable feature of the church is the monument for Peitro Metstasio which was made by Lucardi in memory of the late “Poet Laureate”. This church simply proves that religion and art can come together to form a masterpiece. It is undoubtedly one of the most loved churches in the world.
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Church of the Minorites
