Peterskirche

The Peterskirche is the second-oldest church in Vienna and the city's finest example of Baroque church architecture.

St. Peter's is thought to occupy the oldest Christian sacred site in Vienna, as a church has stood here since the second half of the 4th century. According to legend, Charlemagne founded a larger church here in 792.

The present St. Peter's Church was constructed by Gabriel Montani from 1702 to 1708. Hildebrandt, the noted architect of the Belvedere Palace, finished the building in 1732.

Squeezed into a tight spot on Petersplatz, the Peterskirche is the most sumptuously decorated Baroque church in the city. The pale-yellow-and-white facade features flanking towers that turn slightly inward, turrets said to be inspired by the tents of the Turks during the siege of 1683, and a fine portal. A relief plaque on the right side of the church tells of the legend of Charlemagne.

The interior contains much notable artwork from the early 18th century, including frescoes, gilded carved wood and altarpieces. Among the most notable artworks are the glass-crowned galleries high on the walls to either side of the altar, the tableau of the martyrdom of St. John Nepomuk, and the fresco in the dome by J. M. Rottmayr depicting the Coronation of the Virgin. Unfortunately, the dim light and years of accumulated grime make the interior rather gloomy and the details of the dome fresco difficult to make out.