While I haven't been to Michaelerkirche since 2014, I felt it was important to write a review of my FAVORITE Viennese church for the benefit of English-language tourists. When I studied abroad in Vienna after college, this was the first church I visited when I arrived in the city, and it quickly became my favorite not only because of its convenient location near my apartment, but because of its unsupposing exterior and grandiose interior. From the street outside, Michaelerkirche doesn't look like much, and I imagine many tourists probably overlook it since it's not as obvious as Stephansdom is. However, I preferred Michaelerkirche to Stephansdom because it wasn't as crowded, had a more intimate feel during church services, and the crypt tour was so fascinating. It's also a great place to visit on a hot day since the underground of this church is nice and cool!
Michaelerkirche is right across the way from Café Griensteidl. It is beautiful inside, with intricate details on every ceiling, wall, and railing, and it also houses the largest working organ in Austria. In fact, in 1749, composer Joseph Haydn performed on this organ.
Michaelerkirche was dedicated to the Archangel Michael, and is one of the oldest churches in Vienna, featuring Romanesque architecture which is apparent by the exterior of the church. Although its foundation document states it was made in 1220, it was most likely founded in the fourteenth century.
Michaelerkirche contains many different styles of architecture, ranging from the faded medieval paintings on the walls, the baroque statues of the saints, as well as a statue of the Virgin Mary created in the early twentieth century. I like that this church has so many different time periods represented inside, because it truly shows how this institution has survived over time, and how it has changed yet still contains several of its original features.
These architectural differences remind me of my own historical studies, especially historicism. Historicism refers to when something is created in a particular time period's style, but in a different time period. This church, as well as other buildings we saw today, show architectural styles that do not always match the style of when they were made.
Not only does the church offer a tour of the crypt underneath which contains the bodies of noblemen, but it also offers concerts. Tourists can also attend church services, which I did about three or four times when I was living in Vienna. Even though the services are in German and I don't speak German, it was easy for me to follow along with the schedule of the service since it's a typical Catholic service. Plus I got to sit and enjoy the organ music, shake hands with fellow church-goers, and soak in the beauty that is Michaelerkirche!
I can only hope that someday I will return to Vienna, and this will definitely be at the top of my church visit list.
FOR THE CRYPT TOUR:
They only do two tours a day, and when I went to the 1pm tour time with my friends, the tour guide told us there were too many of us there to take into the crypt at the same time (because there were other tourists there as well). She was kind enough to offer us a tour later in the day.
When we went on our tour of St. Michael's crypt, we went down a steep staircase underneath the church. The guide explained that the crypt flooded in the past, and many of the mummies and coffins were destroyed. Because it was so damp down there, they installed an air conditioning system.
We first saw a large room full of wooden coffins, which had been transferred down there via a slide. The crypt was dark, but with the guide's flashlight we could see original hand paintings on the coffins: skulls, roses, blown out candles, and Jesus on the cross were popular designs. I was surprised at how narrow the coffins were; most of them looked too small for me to fit into! We also saw a child's coffin, as well as the coffin of a pregnant woman.
In addition to the coffins, we saw three mummies, which have been preserved due to the climate of the crypt. They still had their silk dresses and gloves on, and one of them is called "Sleeping Beauty" because of the way her body is positioned. read more