Karlskirche, Austria

Karlskirche is a baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz in Vienna, Austria. The church has a huge turquoise cupola with two high columns. Its high is 72 meters, it was built by order of Karl VI in 1716.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Vienna had a terrible plague epidemic. Thousands of locals died because of it. When the epidemy has finished, the emperor ordered to build a church in honour of his patron Saint Charles Borromeo. The building was finished in 1737. At first, the church was quite complex from the architect point of view. There you can see several styles – the columns are made in ancient Roman style, the portico is an ancient Greek style, pavilions are in a baroque style.

It is important to see not only the rich decorated façade but also the wonderful decoration. There you can see a lot of great frescoes and old icons. The main decoration of the church is an old altar with an unusual terracotta relief. Under the cupola, there is a great viewing point that is open for tourists. To get there you have to use an elevator and then the staircase. Inside the cupola is decorated with a delicate painting made by Johann Michael Rottmayr. When you get to the viewing point, you have an opportunity to see the cupola closer. Next - Kings Theatre