Am Schöpfwerk Church
Encyclopedia
Am Schöpfwerk Church is a Roman Catholic parish church, dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, and is the most recently built church in Meidling
, the 12th district of Vienna
, Austria
.
Because of the nature of the terrain the church is built on two levels: the lower storey accommodates the parish rooms and offices, while the church itself is located in the upper one. The building is composed of cubic elements piled up symmetrically in the form of a stepped pyramid. The load-bearing elements are plastered, and consist of a reinforced concrete skeleton filled in with exposed brickwork. A seven-storey bell tower stands next to the low entrance hall.
A stairway leads from the rooms on the ground floor to a central vestibule through which the church proper is accessible. This consists of a central space, with room for 220 people seated and 400 standing, in the shape of a Greek cross surrounded by an ambulatory delineated by concrete pillars. The cubic elements, which draw together in this space, terminate at the apex of the pyramid in a lantern of glass windows. The white interior, highlighted by green and golden ceramic tiles, is strongly reminiscent of the Jugendstil.
The main fitting is the central altar, of ceramic, raised up on two steps. Behind it is a 19th century crucifix. There is also a Pietà
painted by Carry Hauser
. Michael Fuchs, son of the painter Ernst Fuchs
, painted the picture of Saint Francis of Assisi. The ceramic Way of the Cross and holy water stoup are by Franz Josef Altenburg, the remaining decorations by Traude Windbrechtinger.
In the northwest corner is the square Chapel of St. Clare
.
Meidling
Meidling is the 12th district of Vienna . It is located just southwest of the central districts, south of the Wienfluss, west of the Gürtel belt, and east and southeast of Schönbrunn palace...
, the 12th district of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Description
The church is situated on the edge of the large-scale Viennese city housing development Am Schöpfwerk, which was constructed 1976–80 on the south slope of the Wienerberg in Altmannsdorf, part of the district of Meidling (Lichtensterngasse 4). The architect of the housing development, Viktor Hufnagl, also designed the church, which was built 1979–81. The Am Schöpfwerk parish was established in 1982.Because of the nature of the terrain the church is built on two levels: the lower storey accommodates the parish rooms and offices, while the church itself is located in the upper one. The building is composed of cubic elements piled up symmetrically in the form of a stepped pyramid. The load-bearing elements are plastered, and consist of a reinforced concrete skeleton filled in with exposed brickwork. A seven-storey bell tower stands next to the low entrance hall.
A stairway leads from the rooms on the ground floor to a central vestibule through which the church proper is accessible. This consists of a central space, with room for 220 people seated and 400 standing, in the shape of a Greek cross surrounded by an ambulatory delineated by concrete pillars. The cubic elements, which draw together in this space, terminate at the apex of the pyramid in a lantern of glass windows. The white interior, highlighted by green and golden ceramic tiles, is strongly reminiscent of the Jugendstil.
The main fitting is the central altar, of ceramic, raised up on two steps. Behind it is a 19th century crucifix. There is also a Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
painted by Carry Hauser
Carry Hauser
Carry Hauser, born Carl Maria Hauser , was an Austrian painter, stage set designer and poet.- Life :Carry Hauser was born in Vienna as Carl Maria Hauser into the family of a civil servant...
. Michael Fuchs, son of the painter Ernst Fuchs
Ernst Fuchs (artist)
Ernst Fuchs is an Austrian painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, architect, stage designer, composer, poet, singer and one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In 1972 he acquired the derelict Otto Wagner Villa in Hütteldorf, which he restored and transformed...
, painted the picture of Saint Francis of Assisi. The ceramic Way of the Cross and holy water stoup are by Franz Josef Altenburg, the remaining decorations by Traude Windbrechtinger.
In the northwest corner is the square Chapel of St. Clare
Clare of Assisi
Clare of Assisi , born Chiara Offreduccio, is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi...
.
Sources
- Felix Czeike: Historisches Lexikon Wien Bd. 1. Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1992
- Dehio-Handbuch Wien. X. bis XIX. und XXI. bis XXIII. Bezirk. Verlag Anton Schroll, Vienna 1996