Visitor information

The dome fresco, created by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1654-1730), takes up the votive theme again: In the center of the depiction, God hears the plea of St. Charles Borromeo for the end of the plague. You can recognize the saint by his attributes: Cardinal’s hat and cross. You will also find these on the high altar. This scene is surrounded by allegories of the three divine virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. The apotheosis of St. Charles is surrounded by the 4 Latin Church Fathers, Ambrose, Gregory, Jerome and Augustine, with the Glory of God with the Hebrew name in the center.

The atmosphere is festive, radiating joy and lightness. The movement of light, the “up to heaven” can be felt throughout the church, heightened to the highest in the high altar.

The precious silver chandeliers of the high altar, which are complemented by a cross whose ivory corpus was donated by Emperor Joseph II, bear witness to the special significance of St. Charles Church as an imperial foundation.

The organ consists of two parts. In the center is the curved baroque organ from 1739, framed by angular additions from 1847 when the demands on church music had changed and an organ with a larger range became necessary (from 18 to 31 stops). The church bells, which consist of the original six bells from the 18th century and two new bells from 2010, are also very important.

In addition to the 18th century model in the church’s vestibule, the 1:28 scale model created in 2020-2022, which is 2.48 meters high, offers an impressive opportunity to perceive the building as a sculpture. Fischer von Erlach, who is said to have studied under Bernini in Rome, demonstrated an impressive mastery of space and mass in all his works, which culminates once again in this, his last work. Experience the size of the dome and tambour in comparison to the substructure and use the model to take a look at rooms that are not open to the public (bell room, sacristy and imperial staircase).