What to do and see in Carinthia, Austrian Alps: The Best Churches & Cathedrals

Reviewed By periandro - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

It's a stunning building which one could hardly imagine that could exist in a small though charming city such as Gurk. The construction works began in the first half of the twelve century. The decoration of the Cathedral as well as the construction of the provost's house and the foundation building were completed in the course of the following century. Those works continued along the fifteenth century when the vaulting in the transept was built and the side aisles were vaulted in gothic style. The central nave is also adorned with net vaulting and paintings in gothic style. This ornamentation dates back to the end of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth. Throughout the following centuries to the present time new constructions, foolish demolition, fires, new designs of the main portal and the main altar and restorations succeded one another until all such reforms and additions resulted in the jewel which can be contemplated nowadays in the city of Gurk. As far as the church exterior is concerned, upon approaching the Cathedral from the west one is struck by the monumental double tower façade. That type of façade is a typical feature of major romanesque church buildings. Between the towers there is a gallery subdivided by small round and double arch windows and by small slots. It serves as a massive base for the towers. In the lower part of the west façade the bricks are visible and the higher part thereof is painted ochre with white corner blocks and window frames. The basilical structure of the building with the low side aisles and the higher nave is impressive. Apart from that, the most outstanding features of the exterior are: the stone relief bust of Christ in the semi-circular tympanum of the austere south portal; the main façade of the transept adorned in a simple but effective style; the tri-apsidal closure of the east façade, especially noteworthy is the central round apse owing to the decorative band with a round arch frieze, rhombic ribbon and dice freeze. The romanesque relief representing a lion attacking a basilisk in the center of the band is really eye-catching. Upon entering the temple through the west main portal at the back of the spacious porch area and at the sight of the magnificent jambed portal with its wealth of colourful carvings, one can contemplate so much beauty that certainly makes him be amazed. Such a beauty is enhanced by the mystical light which suffuses the richly adorned porch, light which comes from the fine stained glass windows of the three tracery windows. Already in the church interior the view appearing before one's eyes is really dazling. Everything is grandiose. In this respect it's worth pointing out that the side aisles are separated from the central nave by twelve sober octhogonal pilasters made of hewn stone symbolizing the twelve apostles. Those pilasters, together with the round arches made of stone blocks, support the upper section walls of the nave with its nice windows above each one of the arches. A peculiar feature of that church consists in the fact that the choir area is higher than the nave. The gilt high altar executed by Michael Hönel of Saxony in the second quarter of the seventeenth century is really magnificent. It's one of the most monumental altars of that century in Carintia and the altar with the largest number of figures. On three vertical axes and over four storeys it contains an important iconography; among other figures one can observe those portraying the four evangelits and the four Latin fathers of the Church: Ambrose, Gregory, Augustine and Jerome. In the central section of the altar resting against a stone table the coat of arms showing the year 1631 of provost Georg Vizdom is outstanding. On the altar itself there is a round tabernacle in a dark-framed predella. This serves as the base for the scene of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin which soars above and dominates all the other levels. The two side altars in the north and south chancels were also made by Michael Hönel. In their composition one is almost the mirror of the other. On each one of them the paintings by Johann Steilinger portray respectively in typical baroque fashion the martyrdom of St. Stephen (left side altar) and of the apostle prince St. Peter (right side altar). They are really noteworthy as well as the gothic fresco image of St. Dorothy, right beside St. Peter altar. The artistic higlight of the front nave area is the crucifix screen altar or pietà altar with its monumental lead sculpture of 1740. It depicts the corps of Christ lying on the lap of the Virgin under a cross. It's an outstanding item carried out by the Austrian baroque sculptor Georg Raffael Donner. The rococo tabernacle was executed by Donner's pupil Balthasar Moll. In front of the pietà altar there is a new main altar made of steel and cloth fabric in 1988 by Thomas Hoke. The overelaborate original pulpit on the right front part of that church is also an amazing item of it. It was designed by the Vienna court architects Giuseppe and Antonio Galli Bibiena. Georg Raffael Donner sculpted the seven reliefs and Donner's pupils Caspar Eckart and Leopold Wasserbauer carried out the carving. The curving circular abat-voix is impressive. The symbolic female figures of faith and hope appear making lively gestures on the lower section; a preacher is shown falling head over heels. In the apex of the pulpit there is a symbolic figure of the church on a throne. Another symbol, the papal tiara is held by a floating putto, another one is depicted vanquishing the devil with a three cross piece stick. Everything is spectacular in that church. Apart from the aforesaid items, the following ones ought to be outlined: the choir stalls at the top of each set of which, in the middle, there is a late gothic carved statue; the oratorium from the seventeenth century abutting the north transept wall consisting in a bay like construction of wood, framed in black and gold and richly adorned with carvings; the magnificently sculpted sacristy door also from the gothic period; the baroque crucifix and the sequence of baroque paintings as well as the altar, all of them being in the north side aisle towards the west, and a large array of masterpieces which are all of a great value and beauty. The crypt dating back from 1174 is likewise very interesting. It contains 100 pilasters and it's the mausoleum of St. Hemma, who had been a countess and made generous donations to the Catholic Church, and eventually entered the monastery of St. Mary in Gurk, which could have been founded thanks to a part of such donations. There are very nice mural paintings in that crypt. That on copperplate portraying the bust of John the Evangelist and the murder of St. Thomas Becket is worth being observed carefully. The Gurk Cathedral is therefore a jewel of the romanesque art in every possible sense, with gothic and baroque elements. It's no doubt a must to be visited ont only while in the said city but also in anyone in the Land of Carintia, such as its capital Klagenfurt.