Karlskirche / Church of St Charles Borromeo

This masterpiece of European Baroque architecture was founded by Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI in 1713.

Karlskirche, Vienna

The church is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo,  revered as a healer for plague sufferers.  It was built a year after the last great plague epidemic.   The father and son team of architects (Johann and Joseph Fischer von Erlach) were leaders in iconographic and historical architecture.  The center facade was built to resemble a Greek temple portico.  The 2 columns are modeled on Rome’s Trajan column.  The relief art on the entrance depicts the cardinal virtues and the entrance is flanked by angels from both the Old and New Testaments.