Completed in 1350, the Minorite Churchis a house of worship that has collected many prized works of art overits many-century history. The church was built in a French Gothic style, and itoriginally housed Franciscan monks. Explore the inside to see treasures likeancient frescoes and a famous mosaic.
Outside, the church hosts an array ofbeautiful French Gothic details. For instance, the exterior walls feature manyarches and a variety of carved figures, including Christ and Mary. The buildingitself is very imposing, taking up most of a plaza. Notice its flat-toppedeight-sided tower, which featured a towering steeple until it was damagedduring two Turkish invasions of Vienna.
Inside, the church features severalartistic masterworks that are worth finding. Look for the mosaic of Da Vinci’s Last Supper, the Minorite Church’s mainhighlight. Italian artist Giacomo Raffaelli of the 18th-centurycreated this highlydetailed work. Another of the church’s most prized pieces is the Familienmadonna, a statue of Mary. Thestatue has a variety of interesting hues due to the fact that it is sculptedfrom coloured stone.
Examine some of the other works of artspread through the building, like the 15th-century fresco of St. Francis. Thechurch also features statues of ancient figures like kings and saints as wellas a bust of the preacher Clemens Maria Hofbauer, who served the church at thebeginning of the 19th century.
Don’t be confused if you see the churchreferred to as the Italian National Church of Mary of the Snows (ItalienischeNationalkirche Maria Schnee). King Joseph II ordered the church’s name to bechanged to this longer title in 1782, but it is still most commonly knownsimply as the Minorite Church.
Head northwest of the Hofburg Palace inthe Innere Stadt part of Vienna to find the Minorite Church. The church is opendaily, and entry is free.
