Schottenkirche, Parish church in Innere Stadt, Austria

The Schottenkirche is a Baroque parish church on the Freyung, its pale yellow facade topped by a dark tiled roof and a tower with a green copper dome and cross. Inside, a barrel-vaulted nave with blue, red and gold ceiling frescoes leads past paired pilasters and side chapels to the raised high altar, built from 1883 to 1889 to designs by Heinrich Ferstel with an Innsbruck glass mosaic by Michael Rieser.

Irish Benedictine monks founded the church in the 12th century at the duke's invitation. After fires and collapses, it was rebuilt in the 17th century and has retained its basic structure since then.

The name comes from the medieval Latin scoti for Irish monks, who founded the monastery here in 1155. Organists at the church included Johann Joseph Fux, organist around 1690 and later court composer. On 15 June 1809 a memorial service for Joseph Haydn was held here, at which Mozart's Requiem K.626 was performed. Film director Fritz Lang was baptised in the parish church.

The church stands on the Freyung in the first district, its tower set back from the nave because the Baroque rebuild shortened the length. The main portal of the tower facade was made by court stonemason Bartholomäus Khöll in 1651. The interior is entered from the square; the raised altar area is reached by steps, and wooden pews line a red carpet along the central aisle.

Despite its name referring to Scottish monks, it was actually founded and run by Irish Benedictines. This historical mix-up has stuck in the name ever since.