Prandtauerkirche

The Prandtauerkirche in St. Pölten, Lower Austria, is a remarkable example of Baroque architecture and a significant historical landmark. This Roman Catholic rectorate church, dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, has a rich history that dates back to the early 18th century. It stands as a testament to the artistic and architectural prowess of its time, and its story is intertwined with the city's cultural and religious heritage.

The History of Prandtauerkirche

The origins of the Prandtauerkirche are rooted in the philanthropy of Maria Antonia Josepha, Princess of Montecuccoli, née Colloredo (1672-1738). Childless and widowed, she decided to establish a Carmelite convent and church in St. Pölten. On April 8, 1707, she formalized her generous endowment with a foundation charter, setting the stage for the construction of this splendid church.

Construction began in 1707/1708 based on the plans of the Carmelite architect Martin Witwer. However, the intervention of the imperial court led to a high-Baroque redesign by the sculptor and architect Matthias Steinl. The construction was overseen by the Baroque master builder Jakob Prandtauer, after whom the church is named. The first church, equipped with three temporary wooden altars, was consecrated on April 9, 1712, and the Carmelites entered their newly built convent the following day. The church was completed with the installation of a stone altar and was solemnly consecrated on June 10, 1725, by the Prince-Bishop of Passau.

Following the dissolution of the convent and church in 1782 and their formal secularization in 1784, the church's interior furnishings were either stored in Vienna, given away, auctioned off, or transferred to poorer or newly established Josephine parishes. The main altar found a new home in the parish church of Tulln - St. Stephen, where it remains to this day. The princess's sarcophagus was moved to the chapel of Walpersdorf Castle. The convent building served as a barracks until 1918 and, since 1922, has housed various municipal offices. In 1934, architect Rudolf Wondracek restored the church to its original state, and it was re-consecrated in 1935. Since then, it has once again been used for Catholic services. In 1964, the church building was legally transferred to the Diocese of St. Pölten, while the former convent building remains in municipal ownership and houses, among other things, the St. Pölten City Museum.

In 2017, the rectorate of the church and the Cultural Jewel Prandtauerkirche association successfully returned the sarcophagus of Princess Montecuccoli to the Prandtauerkirche, fulfilling her testamentary wish. It was placed in a side niche to the right behind the main entrance, and a newly crafted wrought-iron gate was installed to mark the occasion.

Exterior Architecture

The west-facing Baroque church building features a strikingly curved eastern facade that defines the southwest corner of Rathausplatz in St. Pölten. Above the window in the central axis, the broken segmental pediment is adorned with the coat of arms of the founder (Montecuccoli and Colloredo), flanked by two angels and surmounted by a princely hat and double-headed eagle. Above this, a tier with the statue of the church's patroness, Mary of Mount Carmel, completes the facade. The church consists of an entrance bay (with the organ loft reinstalled in 1934), a two-bay nave with rounded corners towards the choir and loft, and a square chancel. The vault is a barrel vault with transverse arches resting on robust wall pillars. In 1936, a memorial to the 49th Infantry Regiment Freiherr von Hess, domiciled in St. Pölten, was added to the north facade.

Interior and Furnishings

The high altar, a columned retable built with Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt in 1712, was transferred here from Harrach Castle in Aschach, Upper Austria, in 1961. The altarpiece, depicting the Crucifixion of Christ from the first half of the 17th century, is believed to have been painted by Giuseppe Ribera. The image of God the Father with the Holy Spirit dove, painted by Johann Georg Schmidt in 1721, adorns the upper section. The inscription tablet names Franciscus Antonius Harrach, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. The neo-Baroque pulpit features figures of the Evangelists and Apostles by M. Reitstätter-Bolldorf and Adolf Treberer-Treberpurg (1949). A statue of the Immaculate Mary from the first half of the 18th century and four Baroque paintings of the Apostles Peter, Judas Thaddeus, Paul, and Matthew add to the church's artistic treasures.

Until 2007, a mural by artists Manfred Stader and Edgar Müller, painted in the Baroque style, adorned the altar area. It depicted contemporary secular and ecclesiastical representatives, including Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuß, Julius Raab, and Bishop Michael Memelauer, in gratitude for the return of the church in 1934. The depiction of Dollfuß sparked heated debates, leading Bishop Klaus Küng to remove the painting. In 2009, a new altar wall design was introduced, featuring a fresco by Andreas Gamerith depicting the Carmelite scapular, along with stucco decorations.

The interior of the church reflects the architectural disruptions in its history, lacking a cohesive harmony between architecture and furnishings. The early Baroque structure is interspersed with decorations from the years after 1934. The high altar, brought from the chapel of Aschach Castle, is significantly smaller than the original and no longer fills the presbytery as it once did. Efforts since the 1990s have aimed to better integrate new acquisitions with the Baroque architecture.

The church has no bells but is equipped with an electronic chime system.

Seliger-Kaiser-Karl-Kapelle

In 2019, a side niche of the church was transformed into a chapel dedicated to Blessed Karl I of Austria-Hungary, who was beatified on October 3, 2004. Designed by Markus Heinel, the chapel is styled in modern Art Deco, reflecting the period of Blessed Karl's death in 1922. The furnishings include a crucifixion group with a life-sized Christ in the center, flanked by two stone stelae. The base of the stelae is made of red porphyry with a white Jura limestone top, and another layer of red porphyry with an Art Deco cross pattern, suggesting the Austrian red-white-red flag.

The left stele is dedicated to Blessed Karl I and is topped with a cast of his death mask. It contains a relic of the Blessed. The base inscription reads: Blessed Karl I of Austria-Hungary. The right stele is a memorial to the deceased of the Radetzky Order and is dedicated to the Austrian Field Marshal Josef Wenzel Radetzky von Radetz. The base inscription reads: In memory of the deceased of the Radetzky Order.

The chapel floor features alternating porphyry and Jura limestone, and an Art Deco wrought-iron gate with a crown of thorns motif closes off the chapel from the church interior.

Organs

Until 2010, a single-manual organ from the 1970s, expanded to two manuals and 13 registers, stood in an acoustically unfavorable side niche on the Prandtauerkirche's gallery. The organ, mechanically and sonically unsatisfactory and too small for the space, was replaced by the current organ, which spans the entire width of the gallery. The current organ, originally built by Franz Capek in 1904, was transferred from the Franciscan Church in St. Pölten in 2011. The late Romantic instrument, originally with 20 registers on two manuals and pedal, was expanded by Ferdinand Molzer the Younger in 1939 with three additional registers. In 2012, the organ was installed in the Prandtauerkirche without its original Baroque case. A new, stylistically adapted case was created in collaboration with the Federal Monuments Office in 2011, and the organ was further expanded by W. Sauer Orgelbau Frankfurt (Oder) from 2013 onwards. The Princess Montecuccoli Organ, with 3,801 pipes and a three-manual console built in 2019, is one of the largest in Lower Austria. The swell works are located on the sides of the main case, perpendicular to the facade, behind the pillars supporting the gallery. The main work is housed in the right main case. Sauer also incorporated 19 restored zinc facade pipes from the 1923 Walcker organ of the Votive Church in Vienna into the St. Pölten organ.

The Prandtauerkirche, with its rich history, stunning Baroque architecture, and artistic treasures, is a must-visit for anyone exploring St. Pölten. Its walls tell stories of faith, philanthropy, and resilience, making it a true gem in the heart of Lower Austria.