Wiener Neustadt Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and St. Rupert, was the cathedral of the Diocese of Wiener Neustadt from 1468 to 1785. It is now a parish church. Construction of the Romanesque church began in 1207, and it was consecrated in 1279. The nave is aligned with sunrise on Pentecost, the day in 1192 when Duke Leopold V was invested by Emperor Henry VI.
Melchior Klesl, as diocesan administrator, had the first Baroque pulpit built between 1588 and 1630. A Baroque altar holds a Giandomenico Cignaroli altarpiece of the Assumption, fitted in 1776.
Earthquake damage led to the demolition of the westwork and towers in 1886, and they were rebuilt from 1892 to 1899. An arson fire on March 6, 2012 forced a six-month closure for repairs.
Comments