St Peter's Church, Vienna

Peterskirche stands in a small square off the Graben, and the first thing to understand about it is the site: it is wedged into a plot in the medieval street pattern with barely room to step back, which is why the oval plan was chosen and why the façade with its two flanking towers is turned at an angle to catch the approach. There has been a church here since at least the eighth century and possibly on Roman foundations; the present building went up between 1701 and 1733, with Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt taking over the design. Inside it is dense high baroque - gilding, red marble, a pulpit and a huge gilt group of the martyrdom of St John Nepomuk - under a dome fresco by Johann Michael Rottmayr painted to make a shallow dome read as a soaring one.

Highlights

• An oval baroque interior - the plan forced by a cramped medieval plot.
• Rottmayr's dome fresco - painted to make a shallow dome look far higher.
• The Nepomuk group - the gilt martyrdom sculpture beside the nave.
• A turned façade - angled to be seen from the Graben approach.

When to go

All year; free organ recitals most afternoons. Half an hour.

What to expect

It is small and dark, and services take priority over visiting. Photography is restricted during worship. The square outside is narrow and busy with Graben foot traffic.

Nearby

The Graben, Stephansdom and the Hofburg are all within a few minutes' walk.