Vienna: Stephansdom (To replace the Magic Flute)

I didn’t have a chance to get a selfie with the Stephansdom since I had to change the blog topic last minute. But this picture of me is from the same day I took the picture of the cathedral.

 I chose to write about Stephansdom (or St. Stephan’s Cathedral) in Vienna instead of the Magic Flute since we didn’t see too much of it. This great cathedral really stuck out to me in everything we saw in Vienna. It was the roof that had an impact on me. The roof is covered in these colorful tiles that form these amazing geometric designs. I’ve never seen anything like it. The roof really stood out against the sky that day. The rest of the cathedral was also beautiful, of course. The church’s website, stephanskirche.at, talks about how the cathedral is really a combination of Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The Annotated Mona Lisa talks about the difference between Gothic and Romanesque architecture. It says Romanesque is more horizontal than vertical, with different units and rounded arches while Gothic has more points and is more vertical along with the flying buttresses of course :). I could kind of see a combination of these two styles in this cathedral. I think it was definitely more horizontal except for the tall tower at one end and there were lots of pointed arches but some were round as well.

 

I feel like the Stephansdom Cathedral is important because it was built so long ago (1137 according to the website) and the center of the city. It is obviously the center of the city landmark, because it has measurements of how large bread loafs should be made and bars measuring how big to make fabrics/cloths according to one of our professors Rob. Thus, this cathedral was a meeting place for the whole town and has much importance to the city. Even though this cathedral had to be rebuilt after a major fire and many additions over the centuries, it became a great example of the combination of architectural styles. The website also says there was a terrible fire in 1945 towards the end of World War II where the whole roof had to be reconstructed. So the roof is relatively new. 

 

I think the Stephansdom Cathedral contributes to Vienna being one of the great cultural capitals of the world because of its unique architecture and style and great importance to the city. The roof alone sets it apart. The fact that it is close to 1000 years old, combines historic styles of architecture and has the vibrant roof tiles makes it unique to Vienna. Its importance as it being a center meeting place of the city demonstrates the culture of Vienna making it a cultural capital. It is an example of how important the Catholic faith was and is to the people of Austria.