Hofkirche

Innsbruck, Austria

The Hofkirche (Court Church) is a Gothic church built in 1553 by Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) as a memorial to his grandfather Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), whose cenotaph within boasts a remarkable collection of German Renaissance sculpture. The church also contains the tomb of Andreas Hofer, Tyrol's national hero.

Although Maximilian's will had directed that he be buried in the castle chapel in Wiener Neustadt, it proved impractical to construct there the large memorial whose plans he had supervised in detail, and Ferdinand I as executor planned construction of a new church and monastery in Innsbruck for a suitable memorial. In the end, however, Maximilian's simple tomb remained in Wiener Neustadt and the Hofkirche serves as a cenotaph.

The church was designed by architect Andrea Crivelli of Trento in the traditional German form of a hall church, consisting of three naves with a setback three-sided choir, round and pointed arch windows, and a steep broken hip roof. Its layered buttresses reflect compromise of contemporary Renaissance design with German late Gothic style. Stonemasons Hieronymus de Longhi and Anton de Bol carved the fine Renaissance portal.

The high altar seen today was designed in 1755 by the Viennese court architect Nikolaus Pacassi, and decorated with a crucifixion by the Viennese academic painter Johann Carl Auerbach, and bronze statues of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Teresa of Ávila by Innsbruck court sculptor Balthasar Moll (1768). The Renaissance organ (1560) is by Jörg Ebert of Ravensburg, and described locally as one of the five most famous organs in the world. Domenico Pozzo from Milan painted the organ panels.

Emperor Maximilian's ornate black marble cenotaph occupies the center of the nave. Florian Abel, of the Prague imperial court, supplied a full-sized draft of the high tomb in the florid style of court Mannerism. Its construction took more than 80 years. The sarcophagus itself was completed in 1572, and the final embellishments—the kneeling emperor, the four virtues, and the iron grille—were added in 1584.

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Address

Universitätsstraße .636, Innsbruck, Austria
See all sites in Innsbruck

Details

Founded: 1553
Category: Religious sites in Austria

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.sacred-destinations.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Goldenes Dachl (0,2 km)
Hofburg (0,1 km)
Innsbruck Cathedral (0,2 km)
Ambras Castle (3,3 km)
Wilten Abbey (1,7 km)


Linderhof Palace (47 km)
Wieskirche (59 km)
Ettal Abbey (40,4 km)
Benediktbeuern Abbey (48,8 km)
Tegernsee Abbey (55,9 km)
Fortezza Fortress (57,3 km)
Hasegg Castle (8,5 km)
Hall in Tirol Abbey (8,8 km)
Rottenbuch Abbey Church (61,2 km)

User Reviews

D B (19 months ago)
Amazing place to visit. Lovely place
Stiff Roy (20 months ago)
Mesmerizing place with a lots of history.
Wendy Stebbing (20 months ago)
This is a beautiful location and impressive to see. We did a combo with the museum next door and it was a highlight of the city.
Ehsan Sanaei (21 months ago)
Really amazing place, dont miss the video/fantasy show explaining the story briefly available in both English and German language.
Jan Browarski (2 years ago)
Stunning memorial tomb and the sculptures around which were being made for 100 years to honour Kaiser Maximilian. Must see in Innsbruck.
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