{"id":27732,"date":"2020-10-23T04:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T03:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=27732"},"modified":"2025-12-07T18:59:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T17:59:32","slug":"piaristenkirche-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/piaristenkirche-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The Piaristenkirche church"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/mariatreusmall.jpg\" alt=\"Front of the Maria Treu church\" class=\"wp-image-27735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/mariatreusmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/mariatreusmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Jodok-Fink-Platz sits in gorgeous baroque surrounds in one of Vienna&#8217;s finer districts just outside the centre. The square&#8217;s historical highlight comes in the form of the Maria Treu parish church, known to most as the Piaristenkirche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wonderful baroque front and insides dating back to the early 18th century<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both Haydn and Bruckner performed here<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Churches\" rel=\"sponsored\">classical concert<\/a>* in a church or palais<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/joseph-haydn\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"6566\">Haydn in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/bruckner\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39444\">Bruckner in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/churches\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28720\">Viennese churches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Maria Treu parish church<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirche.jpg\" alt=\"The Piaristenkirche\" class=\"wp-image-48904\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirche.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirche-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Very much a fa\u00e7ade &#8211; see below!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vienna&#8217;s well-to-do eighth district is famous for its traditional Viennese restaurants and the renowned Theater in der Josefstadt, which first opened in 1788 and still delights theatergoers today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A short walk from the theatre takes you to Jodok-Fink-Platz. The buildings surrounding the three closed sides of this small square all belong to the Piarist religious order, though most now serve more secular purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you look at the square from the road, the building to the right houses the Piaristengymnasium (a state-run secondary school). A private Piarist-run primary school occupies the building on the left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> And between the schools lies the parish church of Maria Treu (the Piaristenkirche), a location steeped in history.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piaristenkirche1724.jpg\" alt=\"Engraving of the Piaristenkirche from 1724\" class=\"wp-image-87415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piaristenkirche1724.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/piaristenkirche1724-300x185.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Piaristenkirche as drawn by Salomon Kleiner, engraved by Johann August Corvinus, and published by Johann Andreas d. \u00c4. Pfeffel in 1724; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 105765\/26; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Construction of the church began in 1716, but it would take a few decades to complete: the consecration only took place in 1771.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt was behind most of the design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This name places the Piaristenkirche in lofty architectural circles, since Hildebrandt also built such Viennese landmarks as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/belvedere-sites\/upper-belvedere-palace\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3521\">Upper<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/belvedere-sites\/lower-belvedere\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3384\">Lower<\/a> Belvedere palaces.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/jodokfinkplatz.jpg\" alt=\"Jodok-Fink-Platz\" class=\"wp-image-48705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/jodokfinkplatz.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/jodokfinkplatz-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(View across the square to the school)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another famous name appears when discussing the church&#8217;s interior: the great artist of the late <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/baroque\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"30588\">Baroque<\/a>, Franz Anton Maulbertsch, painted the frescoes on the ceilings of the five domes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a purpose-built Baroque church, everything inside seems to fit perfectly. The result is a light and airy impression with enough space to let the glorious architecture and decor breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you go in, be sure to note the two side windows with their sculptures and gold scrollwork.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/piaristenkirchenight.jpg\" alt=\"Outside the Piaristenkirche at night\" class=\"wp-image-66385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/piaristenkirchenight.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/piaristenkirchenight-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(A nighttime view)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Piaristenkirche&#8217;s place in Viennese lore stems from its unique front and its musical connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The twin spires and clock wall are relatively unusual for the city, and the rather beautiful fa\u00e7ade lives up to its name in more ways than one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Facing the entrance, head to the right and the bicycle stand. Look up, and you&#8217;ll see the roof begins much lower down than the front would suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The contrast becomes even clearer if you go around to view the rear of the church on Lederergasse:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/piaristenkircherear.jpg\" alt=\"Rear of the Piaristenkirche\" class=\"wp-image-48972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/piaristenkircherear.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/piaristenkircherear-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Not quite the same baroque magnificence as the front and interior)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This difference between a representational fa\u00e7ade and a more pragmatic and economical rear to a building is not rare in Vienna, but the less pretty parts of most locations normally remain hidden from view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The composer connections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many churches in Vienna have a particular connection to a famous composer or three. In the case of the Piaristenkirche, it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/joseph-haydn\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"6566\">Haydn<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/bruckner\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39444\">Bruckner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haydn&#8217;s <em>Missa in tempore belli<\/em> (Mass in Time of War) premiered in the church on December 26th, 1796. He led the performance himself and apparently wrote the work specifically for the first mass officiated by Joseph Hoffmann, a young priest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haydn also performed his <em>Stabat Mater<\/em> piece (for singers, choir and selected instruments) in the Piaristenkirche on March 29th, 1771. Some believe the occasion played a key role in establishing Haydn&#8217;s name in Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A plaque outside the church commemorates the Anton Bruckner connection. Here&#8217;s my translation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Anton Bruckner took the practical part of his music composition exam on the organ in this church on November 21st, 1861. The later court music director, Johann Herbeck, summarised the outcome with these memorable words: &#8220;he should have been examining us&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirchebrucknerplaque.jpg\" alt=\"Bruckner plaque on the Piaristenkirche\" class=\"wp-image-47420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirchebrucknerplaque.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/piaristenkirchebrucknerplaque-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(See the translation above)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bruckner used the Piaristenkirche organ on other occasions, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On April 18th, 1871, for example, he auditioned (successfully) in the church for the position of Austrian envoy to an industrial exhibition in London, where the winner would perform various concerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bruckner played a work by Bach before performing freely to a theme given to him and two other competing organists after all had finished their rehearsed pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next day, the <em>Neues Wiener Tagblatt<\/em> correctly predicted the outcome of the audition, noting that Bruckner&#8217;s ad hoc performance was (my translation):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;decidedly superior to his competitors<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>(Apparently, Franz Liszt was a fan of the organ, too.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Piaristenkirche<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The nearest subway station is probably Rathaus on the U2 line. To avoid the walk, jump on tram 2 from the Rathaus (in the direction of Dornbach) and get off at the next stop (Lederergasse).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 13A bus also stops nearby (get out at Lederergasse or Theater in der Josefstadt, depending on which direction you come from on the bus).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walk a little bit south from the church to reach Josefst\u00e4dter Stra\u00dfe: look down the street toward the city centre and you get an unexpected view of the Stephansdom cathedral spire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Jodok-Fink-Platz, 1080 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1-Mx0GGh_eaBN7CtWtZ9_VJZRRGDzy14i\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jodok-Fink-Platz sits in gorgeous baroque surrounds in one of Vienna&#8217;s finer districts just outside the centre. The square&#8217;s historical highlight comes in the form of the Maria Treu parish church, known to most as the Piaristenkirche. Maria Treu parish church (Very much a fa\u00e7ade &#8211; see below!) Vienna&#8217;s well-to-do eighth district is famous for its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sights","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27732"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87423,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27732\/revisions\/87423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}