St. Canisius's Church, Vienna, Parish church in Alsergrund district, Vienna, Austria.
St. Canisius's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Alsergrund district of Vienna, built from 1899 to 1903 to designs by Gustav Ritter von Neumann in a mix of Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic styles. Its two 85-metre facade towers, the fourth tallest church towers in Vienna, carry the coats of arms of its main donors. A wide flight of steps leads to the portal, whose pediment bears a statue of Peter Canisius flanked by St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier, carved by Franz Barwig.
In 1896 the Marianische Kaufmannskongregation proposed a monument for the 300th anniversary of the death of Peter Canisius. The Canisius Church Building Association formed in 1897 under Archduchess Maria Josepha, and construction began on 31 July 1899. The church was consecrated on 18 October 1903, and Franz Joseph attended the first Mass. Canisius was canonized in 1925 and made main patron; the parish was established in 1939.
The church's name honours Peter Canisius, who was beatified but not yet canonised when it was built, so it was consecrated under the titles "The Suffering Saviour on the Mount of Olives" and "The Sorrowful Mother of God". After his canonisation in 1925, a decree of the Congregation of Rites made him main patron. The patron saint holds a catechism, with Viennese children at his feet and St. Stephen's Cathedral behind him.
The church stands in the Thurygrund part of Alsergrund, its two 85-metre facade towers visible from the neighbouring Himmelpfortgrund. A wide flight of steps leads up to the portal, where the patron stands on the pediment between St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. The crypt, built in Romanesque forms, serves as a chapel and meeting room and holds a 1965 Rudolf Novak organ with 10 stops.
The church's original bells were melted down for war use in World War I; six new bells were installed in 1925. The adjoining parish house, once used by the Jesuits as a religious house and still owned by the Society of Jesus, has housed a student residence for University of Vienna students since its 2015 renovation, run by the Catholic association Akademikerhilfe.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,068 contributors worldwide.