Photos

Window in Karlskirche church, Vienna

See detail of the interior design of the church in the ws

The Karlskirche, or St. Charles Church, is one of Vienna's greatest and most interesting buildings. Commissioned by the emperor in thanks for answered prayer, the unusual Baroque edifice was also designed to glorify the Habsburg Empire.

The ambitious, creative design of the Karlskirche combines architectural elements from ancient Greece (the columned portico), ancient Rome (the two Trajanesque columns), and contemporary Viennese Baroque (the dome and towers). The green copper dome rises 236 feet high, making it a major landmark on the Viennese skyline.