Gurk Cathedral
Encyclopedia
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...
n basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in Gurk
Gurk (town)
Gurk is an Austrian market town and former episcopal see in the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan, Carinthia.thumb|left|180px|Gurk Cathedral.- Location :...
, Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, that was built in the high Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style from 1140 to 1200. It is considered to be one of the most important Romanesque church buildings in Europe. The long building has a west front with two towers, a gallery, a crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
, and three apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s.
The crypt, with its 100 columns, is the oldest part of the cathedral. In 1174, the grave of Saint Hemma of Gurk
Hemma of Gurk
Hemma of Gurk is a saint and a founder of religious houses in Austria.-Life:Hemma was a member of the noble family of Peilenstein , related to the Liutpoldings of Bavaria and thus to Emperor Henry II. She was born Countess of Zeltschach and was brought up at the Imperial court in Bamberg by the...
was relocated there from th short-lived Gurk Abbey
Gurk Abbey
Gurk Abbey was a short-lived Benedictine double monastery in Gurk, Austria, founded in 1043 by Saint Hemma of Gurk. It was dissolved in 1072 by her executor, Blessed Gebhard, Archbishop of Salzburg, who used the assets so realised to found Gurk Cathedral and the Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt....
, which she had founded and which was dissolved by her executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...
, Blessed Gebhard of Salzburg
Gebhard of Salzburg
Blessed Gebhard of Salzburg , also occasionally known as Gebhard of Helfenstein, was Archbishop of Salzburg from 1060 until his death. He was one of the fiercest opponents of King Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy....
, in order to fund the construction of the cathedral and its diocese.
In the middle of the rural Gurktal, the imposing 60-meter-tall twin towers of the cathedral can be seen from a very great distance.