Votive Church, Vienna, Austria - SpottingHistory.com

The Votive Church (Votivkirche) is a neo-Gothic church located on the Ringstraße in Vienna. Following the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853, the Emperor's brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian inaugurated a campaign to create a church to thank God for saving the Emperor's life. Funds for construction were solicited from throughout the Empire. The church was dedicated in 1879.

The Votivkirche is made out of white sandstone, similar to the Stephansdom, and therefore has to be constantly renovated and protected from air-pollution and acid rain, which tends to colour and erode the soft stone. The church has undergone extensive renovations after being badly damaged during World War II.

This imposing church constitutes a harmonious whole through the proportions, arrangement, spaciousness and unity of style of all the elements. The impressive main altar catches the eye with its gilded retable and an elaborate ciborium over it.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Djalma Alvernaz (4 years ago)
A very beautiful church. Worth it a visit! Go, ExpLLoring and Enjoy It!

Diego Costa Fernandes (4 years ago)
I love to visit this place sometimes. A calm place in a calm city

Flavy T (4 years ago)
An architectural masterpiece, it really worth the visit. It is quite big and it has wonderful strained-glass windows. It can be visited free of charge.

Christos Papadopoulos (4 years ago)
Was under construction (on the outside) on January and we couldn't see all its glory. Also you should note it is closed on Mondays.

Flaviu Rizeanu (5 years ago)
Beautiful church in the heart of Vienna, outstanding architecture! A piece of art! It looks great at night in colorful light.

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The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

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Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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