Vienna - Teutonic Order House and Church

The Teutonic Order was called to Vienna by Duke Leopold VI at the beginning of the 13th C. The Order started constructing its premises, which probably included a chapel, a little later. In the 14th C. the Gothic church dedicated to St Elisabeth was incorporated into the buildings. In 1667 Carlo Carlone erected a new building which included a church. Between 1720 and 1725 this building was given the appearance which it has kept to the present day. The architect was Anton Erhard Martinelli. In the Middle Ages the Teutonic Order was devoted to colonial and military activity ruling from the 12th C. large areas of what was later to be East Prussia; now it is a spiritual Order concerned with religious matters and also with service in hospitals and the care of the young and the old. Since 1923 the High Masters of the Order have always been priests of the Order.

The Deutschordenskirche was remodeled between 1720-22 to harmonize with the 14th C. Gothic work. It was restored in 1868 and 1947. The interior of the church is decorated with coats of arms and banners. Among the most precious objects are the Flemish reredos (1520) and the epitaph of Jobst Truchsess von Wetzhausen (1524).