Description of the attraction
A covered staircase leading from the Parish Square - Pfarrplatz leads to the Piaristenkirche church, which dominates the old town of Krems. It is considered the oldest city temple, as it was first mentioned in 1014.
A new Gothic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built in the middle of the 15th century on the remains of an old Romanesque church consecrated in honor of St. Stephen. The estimated date of construction is indicated above the portal - 1477. In 1508, the church was reconstructed, as a result of which the facades of the temple acquired a late Gothic appearance. The Piaristenkirche resembles a Viennese cathedral in its appearance, which is why the Kremlin church is often called the "sister" of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
During the Reformation, Krems became Protestant. Accordingly, all the churches of the city were transferred to the disposal of the evangelists. During the years of the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits, the new owners of the Church of the Virgin Mary, returned to the city. In the first half of the 17th century, they built their monastery and college near the temple. In 1773, Empress Maria Theresa gave the Jesuit monastery, including the college, to the Piarist monks. In 1871, a secondary school was opened here. The Church of the Virgin Mary has since become known as Piaristenkirchen.
The interior of the temple still contains details typical of Gothic sacral buildings, although most of the decorative elements are still made in the Baroque style. The main altar was built in 1756 according to designs by Jacob Christoph Schletterer. The altarpiece is by Martin Johan Schmidt. He also painted the chapel of St. Francis Xavier and created altarpieces for the side altars.
