Welcome to another episode from ChurchMapped, and today we’re heading to Vienna, Austria to see St. Roch’s Church. Vienna is frequently described as the “city of dreams” and that’s true both figuratively as well as literally. Figuratively speaking, Vienna is frequently ranked as one of the best places in the world to live: relatively low crime rates, strong economy, and a rich cultural history that encompasses everything from the Imperial Palace, Hofburg to Mozart. Literally speaking, Vienna is called the city of dreams because it is the birthplace of the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud. Now, we won’t go into his theories here, but it suffices to say they’re probably not the most appropriate in a travel guide that has something to do with a church, wink wink. Austria has also been an important world player historically speaking, being one-half of the now non-existent Austro-Hungary Empire. If you’re curious to know about Hungary, be sure to check out our upcoming travel guide of St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, Hungary. But back to Austria. It goes without saying that 2020 was a terrible year for many around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and unfortunately 2021 – the year this travel guide was made – will potentially be a repeat of 2020. Pandemics are as old as human history and it might surprise you that their relationship with churches is also similarly old, too. We see this in some of the prayers said at church. For example, a very extensive prayer known as the “Liturgy of the Saints” – a prayer that invokes the saints, be sure to check out our travel guide of St. Aloysius’ Church in London, England where we explain who they are – a line asks that we be protected from “plague, famine and war”. Prior to COVID-19, praying for an end to a plague probably didn’t seem to make much sense but in the aftermath of COVID-19, we can see precisely why plagues troubled our forebears. St. Roch’s Church in Vienna, Austria was actually built precisely in thanksgiving for a preservation of the city from the plague. It was built in 1642 by Ferdinand III, the Holy Roman Emperor. The full name of the church is actually the Church of St. Roch and St. Sebastian, although it is more frequently known simply as “St. Roch’s Church” or in German – which, by the way, is the language of Austria, not “Austrian” - Rochuskirche. The church was first dedicated to St Sebastian. We spoke about St. Sebastian in our travel guide of Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France, be sure to check it out [show picture and card of Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France], but it suffices to say here that he was a Christian who lived in the 3rd century and was killed by the Emperor Diocletian, who was well-known for his persecution of Christians. Speaking of Emperor Diocletian, be sure to check out our travel guide of St. George’s Church in Cologne, Germany – St. George was also killed by the Emperor Diocletian. It is fitting that St Sebastian is dedicated to this church because, like St. Roch as we will soon see, St Sebastian was frequently called upon during times of plague. This calling upon is what is termed “intercession”. The reason St Sebastian is called upon during times of plague dates back to Roman times – according to pagan Roman belief, plague was caused by arrows sent down by mythological Roman gods. St Sebastian almost died by arrows after Emperor Diocletian ordered archers to attack him with arrows, so the association is there. We see this association with St Sebastian and arrows in a lot of art – indeed, it might even be said it is one of the frequently depicted images in art Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist withstanding. St. Roch is similarly remembered and called upon during times of plague. He was reportedly born in 1295 in Montpelier, France. Legend has it that when he was born, his chest was marked with a red Cross. This would go on to mark the pious life he lived. St Roch’s life in some respects paralleled that of St. Francis of Assisi, the well-known 12th century monk and founder of the Franciscan Order who was known for his commitment to the poor; St Roch distributed his wealth among the poor. He then embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome, in modern-day Italy but stopped at a number of towns and cities along the way. His association with the plague comes from having stopped at the Italian village and commune of Acquapendente, where he is reported to have healed those he came across from the plague. He is also reported to have healed an English cardinal, upon which he was introduced to the pope. And his associations with plagues do not end there. In 1414, a plague reportedly arose in the Italian city of Constance, and the Council of Constance began prayers to St. Roch, upon which the plague is said to have ceased. The popularity of the saint was reportedly spread by a German family called the Imhoff Family. You can see their coat of arms here. Intriguingly, although St. Roch was and is very important across much of continental Europe, he never really seemed to gain popularity in the United Kingdom. If you’re curious to learn more about the life of St. Roch, be sure to check out our upcoming travel guide of the Church of St Roch in Lisbon, Portugal. Looking at the exterior of the church also gives some indication of the history of the church. The exterior isn’t as grandiose as, say, Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, be sure to check that travel guide out or the Estrela Basilica in Lisbon, Portugal, be sure to check that travel guide out too and it is actually somewhat easy to miss unless one is observant and has the help of ChurchMapped. ChurchMapped is an upcoming travel website showcasing churches around the world. We help you choose the churches you should consider visiting on your next holiday or pilgrimage. We also offer a games, jobs, music and dating service too. Be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com as well as subscribe to us here on YouTube, give us a ‘like’ on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Over here we see St Augustine as well as to St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Nicholas of Tolentino. Now, you might be wondering what this church has got to do with St. Augustine? Ah, good question. The simple answer is that there was an apparent predecessor to this church that belonged to the Augustinians, a religious order. If you’re curious to know more about religious orders, be sure to check out our travel guide of Farm Street Church in London, England. What we take from the exterior of St. Roch’s church, upon deeper reflection, is that pandemics have been a mainstay of human existence, and people have frequently resorted to a belief in a higher power to cope or deal with the pandemic. It’s noteworthy that St. Rosalia, as an aside, has experienced a resurgence in popularity in Italy and elsewhere as a result of this pandemic. She is featured on the exterior of the church, but we won’t be exploring her in this travel guide. Let’s head inside. Now, now, now. Although this church was built in thanksgiving for preservation from the plague, which is associated with misery, suffering and death, that doesn’t mean those who run this church don’t have a sense of humour. Those of you who can read German – and remember, the language of Austria is German, not “Austrian” – will know that this funny sign reads: “God sees all, and we all in St. Roch’s Church”, hinting at the fact that the church is recorded by CCTV. So if you do visit St. Roch’s Church in Vienna, Austria, be sure to be on your best behaviour! But of course, that should be the case regardless of whether you are or are not recorded. One of the things that stands out most about the church as you head inside is the high altar. The big painting here was done by the Austrian painter Peter Strudel around the year 1689. It commemorates another plague – yup, another plague – that hit Vienna in 1679 known as the Great Plague of Vienna. The painting features the three saints frequently called upon for plagues – St. Sebastian, St. Roch and St Rosalia – with the Blessed Virgin Mary pointing to the city of Vienna in prayer to the Holy Trinity. Over here we see the Newman-Altar, which takes its name from St John Henry Newman. We spoke about him in our travel guide of St. Etheldreda’s Church in London, England – be sure to check it out – but that would not be particularly surprising as he is British. Why, then, is he shown here in a church in Austria? It has to do with the fact that the church is also an Oratory, or more precisely consists of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. St. John Henry Newman was an Oratorian as well, although we won’t go into the details of who or what exactly they are here. If you’re curious to know more about what is an Oratory and the Oratory of St Philip Neri, be sure to see our upcoming travel guide of the Brompton Oratory in London, England. Here is a painting of Blessed Karl of Austria, otherwise known as Charles I of Austria. He was the last monarch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine before the dissolution of the Austro-Hungary Empire. He is featured quite a lot across churches in continental Europe, such as here in the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in Brussels, Belgium – do be sure to check out our travel guide on that. That’s it for this episode from ChurchMapped. If you’re curious to see more churches in Vienna, be sure to stay tuned for our upcoming travel guide on St. Michael’s Cathedral. Austria is a successor to the great power known as the Austro-Hungary Empire, so we would also recommend you stay tuned for our upcoming travel guide of St Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, Hungary as well. If you would like to watch another travel guide associated with St. Roch, we’re recommending the Church of St. Roch in Lisbon, Portugal. ChurchMapped is an upcoming travel website showcasing churches around the world. We help you choose the churches you should consider visiting on your next holiday or pilgrimage. We also offer a games, jobs, music and dating service too. Be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com as well as subscribe to us here on YouTube, give us a ‘like’ on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Until next time!