St Stephen's Cathedral

St Stephen's Cathedral, Stephansdom, rises at the very heart of Vienna, a soaring Gothic masterpiece whose slender south tower and dazzling patterned tiled roof are the symbols of the city. Beneath it lie catacombs holding the remains of thousands, and its towers can be climbed for a view over the old city.

History

In 1137 Bishop Reginmar of Passau and Margrave Leopold IV signed the Treaty of Mautern, which called Vienna a civitas for the first time and set aside land for a new parish church, probably on a Roman-era cemetery, since graves dated to the 4th century were found 2.5 metres down in 2000. The Romanesque church was dedicated to Saint Stephen in 1147 in the presence of Conrad III and Bishop Otto of Freising, about to leave on the Second Crusade; it was extended westward from 1230 to 1245, leaving today's west wall and Romanesque towers, rebuilt after a great fire of 1258 and consecrated again on 23 April 1263, a date still marked by the Pummerin bell, and from 1304 King Albert I and his son Albert II built the Gothic Albertine choir, consecrated in 1340; work on the church went on until 1511 (Wikipedia, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna).

What's there

• The tiled roof - the dazzling zigzag-patterned roof with the imperial eagle.
• The south tower - the climb up the great Gothic spire for the view.
• The catacombs - the crypts and bone chambers beneath the cathedral.
• The Gothic interior - the soaring nave, pulpit and altars.

When to go

Year-round; a fully central sight good in any weather, though it is a working cathedral, so parts close for services. A clear day suits the tower climb.

Things to know

As a working cathedral, the nave may be busy or restricted during services. The tower climb is by a long, tight spiral stair, not for the unfit or claustrophobic. It sits in the busiest heart of the city, so it is always thronged.

Nearby

The Hofburg, the Graben shopping street and Vienna's cafes are all around.

Key facts