Augustinian Church

About

The Augustinian Church (German: Augustinerkirche) in Vienna is a parish church located on Josefsplatz, next to the Hofburg, the winter palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna. Originally built in the 14th century as the parish church of the imperial court of the Habsburgs, the harmonious Gothic interior was added in the 18th century. The official name of church and parish is St. Augustin, but it is locally called Augustinerkirche.

History: In 1327, Duke Frederick the Handsome (Friedrich der Schöne) founded this church with a cloister for the Augustinian friars. In 1634, the Augustinerkirche became the parish church of the imperial church and so many Habsburg weddings took place there, including the wedding of Archduchess (and future Empress) Maria Theresa in 1736 to Duke Francis of Lorraine, the wedding of Archduchess Marie Louise in 1810 to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France, Maria Leopoldina in 1817 to Dom Pedro of Portugal and the wedding of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1854 to Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. A functioning monastery of six black-robed Augustinian friars remains and serves the needs of the parish.

The Gothic church is 85 m (278.9 ft) long and 20 m...