The interior is pleasantly light and covered in colorful frescos. The church is dedicated to saint Carlo Borromeo and was built by Emperor Karl VI in the early 18th century. The Karlskirche is the crowning achievement of Austria’s foremost Baroque architect, Fischer von Erlach. Built by order of Emperor Karl IV in thanks for deliverance from the plague of 1713, it is an eclectic jumble, with an oval dome perched atop a Classical colonnade, flanked by replicas of Trojan’s column in Rome.



The building of Karlskirche was started in 1715 following plans of one of the most famous Austrian Baroque architects, Johann Fischer von Erlach. The church is spectacular. It is the biggest cathedral in Baroque style north of the Alps. Initially, the church was build to honor the vows of Emperor Karl VI. It was dedicated to Saint Karl Borromeo.

An unusually wide front is composed of a number of contrasting elements which surprisingly add up to a unique and harmonic overall image. Two columns with an allegoric representation of the life of saint Borromeo are reminiscent of Italian Renaissance Trojan column. They frame the main portal which resembles a Greek temple. The oval nave of the church is topped by an eye-catching dome spectacularly painted at the inside.

The church is situated at one of Vienna’s central nodes, spacious ‘Karlsplatz’. The area in front of Karlskirche was redesigned in the 1970s by one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century -Henry Moore. ‘Hill arches’ an artwork by him adorns an oval water basin which reflects the church building.

Karlskirche is a thanksgiving church. It was built by the Holy Roman Emperor and Habsburg Charles VI. The church’s oval rotunda is dominated by a massive copper dome. The two almost minaret-styled columns were inspired by the Trajan column in Rome and bear relief spirals narrating the life of St. Charles Borromeo. Topping the columns are golden eagles symbolizing the power of the empire, both secular and ecclesiastical. The two angels on either side of the steps leading up to the portico represent the Old and New Testaments. The relief carved in the pediment of the portico shows an angel unsheathing his sword symbolizing Vienna’s deliverance from the plague. Below the angel, the suffering of the Viennese during the 1713 plague is depicted. The two oriental-styled gateways successfully unite the disparate elements of Fischer von Erlach’s design.

Karlskirche’s special lighting and the informative audio guide gives a chance to learn more about Karlskirche’s many altars. The stucco relief on the high altar depicts St. Charles Borromeo accompanied by angels ascending on a cloud to the magnificent Trinity above. All of the religious themes reflected in the paintings and sculptures in the side altars also contribute to the basic principles of faith embodied in the Emperor’s motto, constantia et fortitudine (steadfastness and fortitude).