Hofkirche

The Hofkirche (Court Church) in Innsbruck, Austria, is a Gothic royal court church and mausoleum built in 1553. In our opinion, it is the most interesting church in Innsbruck, featuring the unsurpassed tomb of Emperor Maximilian and the elaborate Silver Chapel.

The Hofkirche was built by Ferdinand I as a mausoleum for Maximilian I (d. 1519) in 1553. An elegant tomb was made ready for him, but he was never moved here from his original burial place in Wiener Neustadt, south of Vienna.

Innsbruck's Hofkirche is entered not by the main church door, but down a little further to the left. It shares an entrance with the Tiroler Volkskunst-Museum (Museum of Tirolean Folk Art); combination tickets are available.

Emperor Maximilian's ornate black marble tomb, intended to glorify the Holy Roman Empire, is a fine example of German Renaissance sculpture and the highlight of the Hofkirche. It is surrounded by 24 marble reliefs depicting his accomplishments, as well as 28 larger-than-life-size statues of his real and legendary ancestors, including King Arthur of England. Three of the statues are based on designs by Dürer.

The Silberne Kapell (Silver Chapel), up the stairs opposite the entrance, has an lavish altar with a silver-embossed wood Madonna. The silver reliefs around here represent the Laurentanian Litany. The chapel was built in 1578 as the tomb of Archduke Ferdinand II and his wife, Philippine Welser, the daughter of a powerful merchant family.

In addition to its main attractions, the Hofkirche offers an attractive little cloister, a lovely Renaissance porch and a lofty Gothic nave with three aisles. A gallery contains over 20 small statues of the patron saints of the House of Hapsburg and the original wooden organ (1560) is still in use. Tirol's national hero Andreas Hofer is also buried in the Hofkirche.