Alser Vorstadt Church

A Taste of History and Beauty

For a taste of history and beauty, come visit the Alser Vorstadt Church (Alserkirch).In 1688, the Trinitarians on Alser Straße (Alser street) began the construction of a monastery. Shortly afterward, from the years 1694 to 1704, the Alserkirche was built. In 1784, the Minorites moved into the monastery. They took over pastoral care for the nearby General Hospital and various other important tasks, including becoming responsible for the prisoner's house of the Provincial Court. 

The Alser Vorstadt Church is an early Baroque building. The facade is two-towered with high domed roofs. The interior is cruciform and arched by a dome. The Baroque façade is considered the oldest example of a concave form in Vienna. The façade is dominated by a Holy Trinity. The High Altarpiece also displays the Holy Trinity and in the left aisle there is a Marian altar with the image of the "Immaculate Conception". There are many other examples of vivid imagery throughout the church.

The Alser Vorstadt Church is quite famous for its relationship to two composers. On March 29, 1827, the body of Ludwig van Beethoven was blessed at the church. His death is recorded as March 26, 1827, only three days earlier. On September 2, 1828, Franz Schubert, only a few weeks before his death, wrote the hymn "Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe, D.955" in honor of the bells of his church. There are two bronze reliefs in honor of these two famous composers on the church front. On October 4, 1829, the world première of Schubert's "E-flat Mass D.950" took place there, as well.