Description of the attraction
Klagenfurt Cathedral is the Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul, located in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt. The church, which originally bore a different name - the Church of the Holy Trinity, was built in 1578 and immediately became a meeting place for Protestants. However, during the Counter-Reformation in 1600, the population of the city of Klagenfurt returned to the fold of the Catholic Church. Four years later, the church was re-consecrated in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul and transferred to the Jesuits. After that, some changes took place in its architecture: stucco molding appeared in the interior of the church, chapels were built in the northern and southern parts, and a new altar appeared. In 1665, the chapel of Francis Xavier was built, the tomb of the Orsini-Rosenberg family appeared in the southern part of the church.
In 1787, the See of the Diocese of Gurka moved to Klagenfurt, making the Church of Peter and Paul the cathedral of the entire diocese.
While still Protestant, the temple was closely adjacent to the hospital. During the Second World War, the hospital was badly damaged, and in 1964 it was completely destroyed and the badly dilapidated facade of the cathedral became visible. The city authorities announced a competition, which was won by the architect Ewald Kaplanerm in 1973, who carried out the work on the arrangement of the facade.
In the interior of the temple, the main altar painted by Daniel Gran in 1752 is of particular interest. The last work of Johann Martin Schmidt is kept in the sacristy of the church. The vaults were painted by Josef Fromller, and the gallery's stucco molding is Kilian Pittner. The numerous stucco decorations of the temple perfectly combine elements of various architectural styles.
