Peterskirche Vienna is a Baroque church from 1733, the main church in Vienna for (Catholic) Opus Dei, known for many from Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci Code‘ (as an fictitious version, however).
The church architecture was designed by one Vienna‘s historical great names in architecture, Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt.
However, the dome and most of the luxurious Baroque interiors are by Matthias Steinl. In fact, several 18th century masters contributed to the church interiors, including…
- Johann Michael Rottmayr (dome frescoes),
- Martino Altomonte (altar artworks), and
- Lorenzo Mattinelli (sculpture “Martyrdom of Johan Nepomuk“).
PHOTO: Peterskirche as seen from Graben. The green-copper dome of the church was desinged to reflect colors and design of the nearby Hofburg palace ‘Michaelertor‘ dome.
In addition to the rich artworks, religious treasures at the St Peter’s church include remains of catacomb martyr Saint Donatus, kept in safe under the ‘Heilige Familie‘ altar.
Peterskirche
Address: Petersplatz, 1010 Wien-Innere Stadt, Austria
Official website: Peterskirche.at
Worldwide, many know the order’s name (and fictitious version) from Dan Brown’s thriller novel ‘Da Vinci Code‘ (and from the Tom Hanks Hollywood movie made of the book).