One of the oldest, most unique, and most interesting sights of Salzburg is the Franciscan Church. It is interesting not only for its architecture and magnificent examples of religious art, but also for its fascinating history.
Originally, on this site there was a Church of the Virgin Mary, built around the 8th century and destroyed five centuries later. In 1167, Salzburg was burned to the ground by order of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.
Many buildings of the old city perished in the fire, but the church was soon rebuilt with funds from the townspeople - the respectable burghers of Salzburg could afford to hire the famous architect Hans von Burghausen. The magnificent choir built by him in the 12th century remains an adornment of the Franciscan Church to this day.
Unfortunately, in the 15th century the church suffered another fire. During the new reconstruction of 1495-1498, Michael Pacher created a magnificent altar here. Only the image of the Madonna and Child has survived to this day, and it now adorns the main altar created in 1709.
In 1670, the tower of the Franciscan Church was demolished, as the archbishop considered it improper for the tower of a modest church to be higher than the spire of the Cathedral. But two hundred years later the tower was restored in the Neo-Gothic style, crowning it with a tall slender spire.
The rich interior decoration of the church belongs to several eras: there are many sculptures, bas-reliefs, and indescribably beautiful frescoes on the walls and ceiling vaults. The church consists of several inner chapels, each of which contains прекрасные historical monuments, for example the frescoes of Lederwach and Rottmaier.
