The Church of Mariahilf
History and Home to the Mariahilf Picture of the Virign Mary
Come see the fascinating Church of Mariahilf. The Church is the parish church of the Order of the Barnabites, acknowledging their contribution to the building process. The Salavtorians took over the church during the 1930's and since 1997 it has been run by Michaelite Fathers.
Between 1757 and 1792, the Church's interior was developed, with its beautiful Baroque design. After 1689, much was added, including sculptures by Jakob Müsl, frescoes on the ceiling by J. Hauzinger and FX Sttrattmann, and several altarpieces by Troger. Additional altars were added between 1770 and 1774. Further interior renovations occurred during the 1980's, and exterior ones in the 1990's.
The unique shape of the Church towers is a result of the construction of the underground in Mariahilferstrasse in the 1990's. It caused the towers to lean towards Mariahilfer Strasse and the nave to drift towards to Gumpendorfer Strasse. Afterwards, they installed four steel anchors to join the nave and the towers together.
Don't forget to check out one of the highlights of the Church, the Mariahilf Picture of the Virign Mary, a rough copy of the original by Lukas Cranach. The incredible painting portrays Madonna as Theotokos Glykophilousa and is attributed with fantastic miraculous powers.
