Maltese Church, Vienna, Austria - SpottingHistory.com

The Maltese Church is a Roman Catholic Gothic church of the Knights Hospitaller in Vienna. The first church on this site is mentioned in 1217, as a commandry to care and support crusaders. The current building was built in the mid-15th century. In the 17th century it was a favoured preaching location for Abraham a Sancta Clara.

This building was rebuilt to fit contemporary taste in the Baroque era and in 1806, and the Kommendenhaus (1839) and parts of the church (1857) had stained glass added during the 19th century. The Order ran into financial trouble after the First World War and in 1933 had to sell the church and the Johanneshof, and the church was given over to other uses within a historical preservation order. It was bought back in 1960 and restored in stages in 1968, 1972 and 1983-84, finishing with a general restoration in 1998.

The church's high altarpiece was painted in 1730 by Johann Georg Schmidt.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Austria

User Reviews

Joanne Hendrickson (2 years ago)
It is a small church and on a busy shopping street. Not as impressive in appearance as some of the other churches in the area, but has a great feeling of serenity when you enter it.

Raymond Nolte (3 years ago)
Officially called the Church of St. John the Baptist, this little church is under the protection of and maintained by the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta (a crusader era order founded in 1048 and are also know as The Knights of Malta), the order has been on that site since 1217. It is a quiet place to stop and take a moment out of your day to say "thank you" to God for all of our many blessings. One of my favorite places to visit while in Vienna.

Adam Vojta (3 years ago)
A small church hidden in shopping zone.

dreas w (3 years ago)
A beautiful church near the city center. It was very quiet inside despite the season and the fact there are many tourists and locals outside its doors hustling about. Included are some photos of the Christmas decor, which I found very tasteful.

Toivo Hujanen (5 years ago)
Small and beautiful. Good place to sit a while and collect your thoughts in the middle of the buzzling city.

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