{"id":29356,"date":"2021-01-08T05:46:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T04:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=29356"},"modified":"2025-12-15T12:17:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:17:29","slug":"kirche-am-hof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/kirche-am-hof\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirche am Hof"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kircheamhofsmall.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kircheamhofsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Sign outside the Kirche am Hof\" class=\"wp-image-29357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kircheamhofsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/kircheamhofsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Never take things at face value. The fa\u00e7ade of the Kirche am Hof beams with 17th century baroque elegance, but the church actually dates back hundreds of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Likely built toward the end of the 14th century<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Located on the site of the first ducal court<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Three popes made public appearances here<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now also home to the Croatian Catholic Mission<\/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\/sights\/churches\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28720\">Vienna churches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Baroque Gothic?<\/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\/03\/kircheamhof.jpg\" alt=\"Kirche am Hof\" class=\"wp-image-44797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhof.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhof-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\">(The front view and balcony)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you&#8217;re enjoying a glass of port in your 300-year-old town palais on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/am-hof-square\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"27637\">Am Hof square<\/a>, feeling pretty proud of your historical building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then you look out the window to the Kirche am Hof and realise you&#8217;re a modern abomination in the eyes of this medieval church.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhof18th.jpg\" alt=\"Kirche am Hof around the late 18th century\" class=\"wp-image-44799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhof18th.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhof18th-300x236.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 church pictured in the late 1700s; photo courtesy of the Rijksmuseum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This gothic creation seems remarkably ungothic at first glance, however: a casual perusal of the front reveals a striking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/baroque\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"30588\">baroque<\/a> fa\u00e7ade. But a rich history lies behind (literally) the statuary and stone balustrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exact dates when the first church proper appeared at this site remain unclear, but the construction probably began in the late 14th century under the auspices of the Carmelite religious order.<\/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\/2025\/12\/kircheamhof2025.jpg\" alt=\"Baroque church with evening light\" class=\"wp-image-87538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kircheamhof2025.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/kircheamhof2025-300x225.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 twilight view)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The location goes back even further, having once been the palace of the Duke of Austria from the middle of the 12th century and then the mint when the court moved to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/hofburg\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"2708\">Hofburg<\/a>. This was before the days of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austrian-empire\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12856\">Austrian<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/habsburg-monarchy-introduction\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12850\">Habsburg empires<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many early churches, the ravages of time led to major renovation and reconstruction work that transformed the look and d\u00e9cor; in the case of the Kirche am Hof, most notably in the 17th century when the Jesuits ran the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-slug-ids=\"exp206741,exp238032\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_ConcTour\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The baroque treatment is best seen in that huge fa\u00e7ade with its various statues, completed around 1662.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That fa\u00e7ade&#8217;s built-in terrace has proved a useful venue for public pronouncements and appearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pope Pius VI gave an Easter blessing here during his unsuccessful 1782 attempt to persuade Emperor Josef II to be a little less tolerant in his treatment of other religions (Josef was a remarkably progressive monarch for the times).<\/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\/03\/kircheamhofterrace.jpg\" alt=\"Terrace in front of the Kirche Am Hof\" class=\"wp-image-44798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhofterrace.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kircheamhofterrace-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\">(Several popes once stared out across the square from here)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Popes John Paul II (1983) and Benedict XVI (2007) also appeared on the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While now part of the Archdiocese of Vienna, the Kirche am Hof&#8217;s main function today is as a home for the Croatian Catholic Mission. The formal name is the Church of the Nine Choirs of Angels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The building sometimes serves as a film location, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, spot the church in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/vienna-blood-season-2\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"38572\">second season<\/a> of Vienna Blood (the <em>Darkness Rising<\/em> episode of this period detective series). Though the magic of television turned it into a synagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/kircheamhof1724.jpg\" alt=\"Engraving of the Kirche am Hof church from 1724\" class=\"wp-image-66436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/kircheamhof1724.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/kircheamhof1724-300x202.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 church as drawn by Salomon Kleiner and engraved by Johann August Corvinus in a publication released by Johann Andreas d. \u00c4. Pfeffel in 1724; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 105765\/11; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the church<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just follow the tips for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/am-hof-square\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"27637\">Am Hof square<\/a> and look for the huge, ahem, church-like building that looms large over the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Expect to find a whole heap of history nearby. For example, just a couple of doors up is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/palais-collalto\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"19530\">the house<\/a> where Mozart gave his first public performance in Vienna. And a couple of doors to the other side is the former site of the papal embassy to Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Am Hof 1, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1qE67z-6ZUivs0H9TxrZDHWDR9ObImqBL\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Never take things at face value. The fa\u00e7ade of the Kirche am Hof beams with 17th century baroque elegance, but the church actually dates back hundreds of years. Baroque Gothic? (The front view and balcony) So you&#8217;re enjoying a glass of port in your 300-year-old town palais on Am Hof square, feeling pretty proud of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29357,"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-29356","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\/29356","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=29356"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87539,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29356\/revisions\/87539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}