Katholische Kirche Donaustadt

Our morning routine was a duplicate of yesterday … though we were a few minutes later getting off the Rinda this morning. It was more than a little chilly … the wind exacerbating the feels-like temperature. Bundled up, however, we were ready to make the most of our last day in Vienna.

The Uber driver who brought us from the Handelskai Metro Station to the Rinda two days ago, had pointed out what he called the Mexico Church before making the turn into the port. Formally, this place of worship is the St Francis of Assisi Church … also referred to as the Emperor’s Jubilee Church because its construction was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I.

The basilica-style church — which, frankly, looks more like a castle from some fairytale — is located on Mexikoplatz [Mexico Square]. The Uber driver had said that the church was built to honor King Maximilian von Mexico, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I. I have, however, been unable to verify that. That said, I have confirmed that the square was so named to commemorate Mexico being the only country, except for the USSR, to protest against the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany in 1938.

Our initial attempts to check out the church were foiled by logistics the first two days after embarking Rinda. First it was a timing issue … the church is only open between 8:00a and noon. Then it was a matter of being on the wrong side of the Reichsbrücke [Imperial Bridge], which would have necessitated back tracking to get to the church.

Today, we made a concerted effort to walk under the bridge and take the access path on the opposite side so that we could stop by the church on our way to the metro station. Strolling thorough the park, we arrived at the church to find the main door and landing blocked by a homeless camp. At first, we thought we would not be able to get inside, but after circumnavigating the building, we were able to gain access through a side door.

The church, with a few exceptions, is not heavily decorated. The Elizabeth Chapel, which is in the style of Romanesque Revival, is quite another matter. The chapel was added to the transept as a memorial to Sisi after she was assassinated in Geneva, Switzerland in 1898. The funds for the chapel were raised by special donations to the Red Cross … Sisi was a patron of the organization.

The Austrian people donated a vast sum for their beloved Sisi. This allowed for the chapel to be decorated with mosaics instead of frescoes … and for marble to be used for the walls instead of stucco. The brass chandelier reminded me of one of the crowns we saw at the Imperial Treasury a few days ago … but I have been unable to ascertain if the design was intentional … or if it was just my imagination.

Unfortunately, the wrought iron gate in front of the chapel was locked and barred entrance. So, we had to look at the amazing details from afar. The lights were off, as well, making photography quite challenging. I had to be a bit of a contortionist to get the right angles through the bars of the gate, but I managed some decent shots.

It was after 9:00a when we left the church and continued our walk to the Vorgartenstraße metro station to begin our sightseeing in earnest.Read more