Amazing Austria! The heart and soul of Europe, located in the South-Central region. It is one of the beautiful destinations that offers so much for the tourists with the beautiful mountains as its backdrop along with breathtaking landscapes as the life of the locals. It offers various kinds of activities and fantastic destinations like insightful museums, relaxing parks, pilgrimage sights, mesmerizing lakes and many more. Since the entire population in Austria consists of Christians and Catholics, you will find many great churches in and around every corner. You may think that all the churches will have the same kind of history and culture, but it is not true. Every church is unique in its way and provides you with unrepeated and special stories. Here I consolidated some of the best churches in Austria. Want to know more? Come on and travel with me in this article. Here we go!
List of 10 Best Churches in Austria:
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral
- St. Michael Church
- St. Charles Church
- St. Peter’s Church
- The Church at Steinhof
- Protestant Church of Christ
- Basilica St. Michael
- Zirl Parish Church
- Votive Church
- St. Nicholas’s Church
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St. Stephen’s Cathedral
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St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the most famous cityscape landmark of Vienna because of the church’s 2,30,000 colourful glazed roof tiles and 137-metres high south tower. The things that make this church unique are the exterior, gothic portal, pillar statues, high altar, the pulpit, the organ chancel and many more. Inside the church in the women’s nave, you will be seeing an illustrating scene from Mary’s life and the King’s adoring baby Jesus. Likewise, you will be seeing “The Toothache Lord” from the Apostle’s nave.
2. St. Michaels Church
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St. Michael Church is one of the oldest churches in the city constructed from Romanesque architecture. It is not only built from Roman architecture but also a conglomeration of Gothicism, Romanesque and many other architectures. You can find this church as a graveyard cemetery where you will find hundreds and thousands of coffins with flowers or skulls, mummified corpses in baroque frocks, coats and wigs. The most famous buried person inside this church is Pietro Metastasio who wrote the “Librettos of Mozart’s operas”. The Entry is free of cost. But, if you need a tour guide, you have to pay 7 EU. It is open from Monday to Saturday between 7 am and 10 pm except on feast days.
3. St. Charles Church
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St. Charles Church is also popularly known as Karlskirche as it is one of a kind of architectural hybrid. People show more curiosity to see the unique cathedral’s architecture. It is constructed in a mix of Baroque, Roman, Renaissance, Greek and Byzantine architectural styles. Things that make this church unique are the 72-metres height, its 70-metres width dome at the top with its stunning exterior as well as interior. Inside this church, you will see the depictions of real-life scenes from the Life of Charles Borromeo.
4. St. Peter’s Church
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St. Peter’s Church has been popularly worshipped as a spiritual heart of the city since the 7th century. This church is famous for the movie “The Sound of Music” that was shot here in Salzburg. This is not only a church but also a cemetery and catacombs. This old church has experienced several fires and incidents Aldo has been restored over and over again that gives this church its distinctive look. It is constructed in a Renaissance, Roman and Rococo architectural style with a corridor that has Italian-styled windows. This church is one of the oldest and most beautiful in the world. It contains many eminent personalities like Mozart’s sister’s final resting place.
5. The Church at Steinhof
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The Church at Steinhof is considered one of the most important Art Nouveau churches in the world. Visitors can be allowed to use the interior of this church on Saturdays (4 pm to 5 pm) and Sundays (12 pm to 4 pm) otherwise the church will be closed on the weekdays. Once you enter the church, explore the amazing architecture of stained-glass windows, sculptural angels, chandeliers and mosaics. Don’t forget to take a look at the gold dome that contains 2 kg of gold plate over the copper roof. Be sure to confirm your visiting time through a call to the church since it has limited visiting hours.
6. Church of Christ, Protestant
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The Church of Christ Protestant is the only example of romantic historicism found in Salzburg today. The church is constructed in a combined architecture of Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance style. You will find the interior of the church with the portrayal of Christ as a teacher and ruler. It is further supplemented by symbols of the four Evangelists and also paintings of both sides of the chancel that portray the history of Protestantism in Salzburg. The church will be open from Monday to Friday (9 am-noon).
7. St. Michael Cathedral Basilica
Image source: Pexels
St. Michael Cathedral Basilica is also famously known as Mondsee Cathedral in which it got more attraction and popularity from a wedding scene between Maria and Captain Von Trapp of a film called “The Sound of Music”. It is a 15th-century parish church. You will find this place worth visiting. It is free to enter the church. Sometimes, they just ask for a voluntary donation.
8. Zirl Parish Church
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Zirl Parish Church is also known as Holy Cross Parish church which is one of the largest places of worship in Zirl. It is a 19th-century construction with a round arch lined up under the neo-Romanesque building.
Also Read: 10 Must Visit Attractions in Ubud
9. Votive Church
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Votive Church is built as a symbol of thanking God for saving the emperor of Austria from an assassination. In the 18th-century the Emperor of Austria was walking with one of his officers and a Hungarian nationalist approached the Emperor, dragged and stabbed him in the neck from behind. Though all the Emperor survived, in gratitude for the salvation of his majesty this church was built.
10. St. Nicholas’s Church
Image source: Unsplash
St. Nicholas’s Church is the UNESCO World Heritage site, constructed in the 18th-century. It is also one of the most valuable Baroque buildings in the North of the Alps. From the above picture itself, you can spot that the Dome has an impressive diameter of 20m and the interior height is 49m. Thus the construction makes the renowned interior in Prague. It also stands out as an excellent example of high Baroque decoration.
That is all for now. We have come to the end of an article on the 10 Best churches in Austria. I hope you have understood that all the churches are not only meant for prayers, history, culture and monuments but also has more to explore inside the church. Don’t forget to visit the above-mentioned 10 churches on your next Austria trip. If you have any other out of the above names you can explore that too, I just have consolidated the 10 best churches. Check out the Austria tour packages from the Pickyourtrail website and explore, enjoy your next Austria vacation to the fullest. You can even customise your own Austria itinerary plan with the help of their team.
HAPPY EXPLORING!
