Karlskirche

Before you rises the masterpiece of Viennese Baroque. Its origin, once again, is the plague: during the epidemic of 1713, Emperor Charles VI vowed to dedicate a church to his patron saint, Charles Borromeo, the Archbishop of Milan who had cared for plague victims in the 16th century.

1Father and son

The design was by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the great court architect. The foundation stone was laid on 4 February 1716. When Fischer died in 1723, his son Joseph Emanuel took over and finished the church around 1739, altering some details of the original plan.

2A catalogue of quotations

The façade is a catalogue of quotations. The portico recalls a Greek temple; the dome, St Peter's in Rome. The two giant columns imitate Trajan's Column, and instead of Trajan's wars they spiral with the life of St Charles Borromeo. They have also been read as the Pillars of Hercules, a symbol of the power of Charles VI, who had once claimed the Spanish throne. Inside, the oval dome was painted by Johann Michael Rottmayr.

"Vota mea reddam in conspectu timentium Deum": "I will fulfil my vows in the sight of those who fear God", reads the inscription on the pediment.

3What to look for

• The columns: follow the spiral of reliefs with your eyes.
• The Latin inscription above the portico.
• The Henry Moore sculpture in the pond on the square.