Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church), Salzburg
Franciscan Church, cathedral and other churches. Photo by Ian Lloyd.
Franciscan Church with the Collegiate Church behind. Photo by Ian Lloyd.
Magnificent ceiling of the Franciscan Church. Photo by Andrea Kirkby.
Interactive satellite map of the Franciscan Church. For a larger view,
see our Salzburg Map or Google Earth download.
The Franciscan Church, on the corner of Franziskanergasse and Sigmund Hafner Gasse, is one of Salzburg's oldest churches.
History
The light-flooded Gothic hall dates back to 1408. In 1670 the top of the church's tower had to be removed as it stood higher than that of the cathedral, which upset the archbishop.
In 1866 it was restored to its former glory. The Franziskanerkirche is, due to the unique architectural mixture, one of the most interesting churches to visit.
What to See
At the western end of Domplatz an archway leads through to Franziskanergasse and the Franziskanerkirche, a 13th-century reconstruction of an 8th-century edifice, noted for the high-roofed, semicircular choir held up by stately, slender columns.
Set into the curve of the choir wall are nine chapels, the interior of each adorned with fussy stucco-work, statuettes and paintings – the result of an 18th-century Baroque face-lift courtesy of Fischer von Erlach.
Erlach was also responsible for the high altar, although the Madonna that forms its centerpiece is a fine example of late-Gothic sculpture by Tyrolean master Michael Pacher (the Child is a later addition).
Don't miss the church's oldest artwork, a 12th-century marble lion guarding the stairway to the pulpit.
The building on the southern side of Franziskanergasse, opposite the church, boasts a fine piece of Renaissance portrait sculpture in a niche above the door, a relief of Wolf Dietrich in the (for him, unlikely) garb of a monk.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Franziskanerkirche; Franciscan Church |
| Type of site: | Monastic church |
| Faith: | Roman Catholic (Franciscan Order) |
| Date: | 13th century rebuild |
| Address: | Franziskanergasse / Sigmund Haffner Gasse, Salzburg, Austria 5020 |
| Bus: | 1, 2, 15, 29 |
| Train: | Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz |
