Vienna - Church of St Anne

(Local Name: Annakirche) The Church of St Anne in Annagasse was built in the 15th C. in the Gothic style. It was founded by Elisabeth Wartenauer, the wife of a burgher of Vienna. In the 17th C. the original church was rebuilt, and in 1715 it was refurbished in the Baroque style. It belonged successively to the Poor Clares and to the Jesuits, before being handed over in 1897 to the Oblates of St Francis of Assisi. The church has a ceiling painting and a picture above the High Altar, both by Daniel Gran. The wood-carving of Anne, above the first altar on the left, is ascribed to the Nuremberg Master, Veit Stoss, the original can be seen in the Dom and Diözesan Museum. Devotion to St Anne has deep roots in Vienna. The church has in its keeping as a precious relic the hand of the Saint in a rich Baroque setting which is exhibited every year on July 26 for her followers.