The Exchange Contract
St. Stephen's Cathedral was only able to acquire its ground and soil on which it was built through an exchange contract between Markgraf Leopold IV of Austria and Bishop Reginmar of Passau. This allowed the Bishop of Passau to build a new church on a site at the edge of what was then the city walls of the ancient city Vindobona. Stephansdom received its name from Saint Stephen, the patron saint of the cathedral of Passau. Until 1469, the cathedral was subject to the Diocese of Passau.The stylish construction
The original church was built between 1137 and 1147 and underwent constant expansions and renewals over the centuries. The church experienced several fires and was always rebuilt, each time adapted to the architectural style of the period. Thus, the St. Stephen's Cathedral today exhibits both late Romanesque and late Gothic architectural elements. The various forms and stylistic breaks are still recognizable today in the pillar profiles and the figurative decoration. Among the oldest preserved parts are the Heidentürme (pagans' towers) and the Riesentor (giant gate). The Gothic expansion, which was also the most extensive, only took place under the Habsburgs. Under Duke Albrecht II, the expansion of the choir and the construction of the south tower were carried out.
The artfully arranged roof tiles of St. Stephen's Cathedral | Photo: Flickr, Kurayba - CC-BY-SA 2.0The transformation triggered by fire
Originally, St. Stephen's Cathedral was designed as a parish church, but was made a bishop's seat in 1469 and eventually elevated to a metropolitan church in 1722. Although the church was oversized from the start for the then small city, it is assumed that its elevation to a bishop's seat was already planned. In World War II, the cathedral fell victim to unfortunate circumstances. Looters had set a fire in the shops opposite the cathedral, which, due to unfavorable wind, spread to the cathedral's roof. The fire destroyed large parts of the cathedral, including the roof, the north tower, the giant organ, and the Pummerin. The choir stalls, the choir organ, the emperor's oratory, and the Lettner cross were also destroyed by fire. After the end of the war, extensive renovation work began, and St. Stephen's Cathedral was reopened in 1952. Since then, funerals for famous Austrian personalities have also taken place here, most recently for Niki Lauda and the Viennese auxiliary bishop Helmut Krätzl.
The South Tower of the Cathedral | Photo: Flickr, Paul Hudson - CC-BY-SA 2.0Did you know...
... that the cathedral even had a tower clock in the 15th century, by which all the city's clocks were set? However, this was removed in 1861 and can now be admired in the Vienna Clock Museum.
...that St. Stephen's Cathedral, with its 22 bells, has the largest peal in Austria, which is also among the largest worldwide. The bells of St. Stephen are divided - among the South Tower, the northern Heidenturm, and the North Tower.
... that the most famous and largest bell in the cathedral is called 'Pummerin'. It has a diameter of 314cm (124 inch) and is also referred to as the voice of Austria. It is located in the North Tower. However, this is not the original bell. This one hung in the south tower but fell and broke during the cathedral fire in 1945. The new Pummerin was cast in 1951 in Upper Austria, a federal state of Austria, partly using the old material and was brought back to Vienna as a gift in 1952. Unlike the other bells, Austria's most famous bell is only rung on special occasions, such as the turn of the year.The highest towers of the cathedral
The South Tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral, affectionately called “Steffl” by the Viennese, rises high above the rooftops of Vienna. The foundation stone was laid in 1359; the South Tower was completed in 1433. It once served as a lookout for fires. Over 343 steps lead to the Türmerstube, which today offers a fantastic view over the city. After its construction, the South Tower, with its height of 136,44m (448 ft), was the tallest freestanding structure in the world for 50 years and was supposedly not to be surpassed. Here is the main set of bells of St. Stephen, which consists of a total of 11 bells. Up at the tip of the South Tower, there are two more bells.
In the North Tower, there are three bells, including the most famous one, the Pummerin. The other six bells hang in the northern Heath Tower. The North Tower can be reached both on foot and by elevator, but is only 68m (223 ft) high compared to the south tower. It is said that the North Tower remained unfinished due to economic difficulties at the end of the Middle Ages, the impending threat of the Turks, and above all due to the great upheaval in the religious field, the so-called Reformation, or is there perhaps another story behind it?The Pact with the Devil
Whenever the Viennese couldn't explain a phenomenon in the past, the devil had to be blamed, just like with the never-completed North Tower. According to an old legend, it is said that the city council was looking for a new master builder at the time to accelerate the completion of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The master builder and architect Hans Puchsbaum saw it as an opportunity to ask for the hand of the well-situated daughter of the then cathedral builder Peter Prachatitz, whom he was hopelessly in love with. The master promised Puchsbaum to give him Maria as a wife if he managed to complete the second tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral within a year - thus in an unimaginably record time. However, when difficulties threatened, he made a pact with the devil. The devil promised him help under the condition that Puchsbaum should not mention the name of God, the Virgin Mary, or any other saint during the construction period. When Maria once did not notice Puchsbaum at the construction site and therefore he called her name, the North Tower collapsed and buried him under the rubble.