The Michaelerkirche, mostly a relatively plain church but with a highly decorated Baroque chancel, somehow came close to affecting me the way the Domkirche in Salzburg did. Much quieter than the extravagent Peterskirche nearby; peaceful, only a few people here, some recorded music (I assume of their own choir) playing gently in the backgound. The 17-year-old Haydn played the organ here in 1749, when he was living in a small attic room nearby; Mozart's Requiem was first performed here soon after his death. The church dates back to 13th Century, although the neo-classical facade onto Michaelerplatz was added in 1792. |
