Description of the attraction
The Kollegienkirche church serves as the main chapel at the University of Salzburg. It is located in the very center of the Old Town, in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral. The construction of the building lasted from 1694 to 1707.
The Kollegienkirche church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a masterpiece of the Habsburg Baroque. Its architect was the famous Johann Fischer von Erlach, who also designed the Schönbrunn Imperial Palace and the Karlskirche Church in Vienna. The main façade of the church stands out, presented in the form of a monumental dome flanked by small towers connected by a balustrade marked with statues of various saints. The luxurious stucco moldings decorating the windows of the building's main facade was added in the middle of the 18th century and is a distinctive feature of another architectural style - the Rococo era.
It is worth noting that the inside of the church is decorated quite strictly, neither the walls nor the dome are painted and are decorated with only small stucco moldings. The church consists of four separate chapels, one of which was finally completed only in the 21st century. The main altar was completed in the middle of the 18th century and is made in the form of an exquisite sculptural group. The main organ, although it was modernized in 1982, has been preserved since 1866-1868.
For many years this church was part of the army garrison - only the military prayed here. In 1922, a play by the famous Austrian writer Hugo von Hoffmannsthal was staged here, and from that moment the Collegienkirche church began to serve as a venue for individual performances and performances held as part of the famous Salzburg Festival.
