Counter Reformation and Karlskirche

The discussion of the differences between religion and magic was an extremely interesting way to start the lecture on the Counter Reformation. I enjoyed the discussion because I had actually been presented the same question in an American Studies class concerning religion in America. Strangely enough, many of the responses from the class here in Vienna were closely related to those in my discussion section in Davis. Personally I think the two are closely related as they both involve elements of life that cannot be explained yet magic creates more uncertainty while religion attempts to offer explanations and comfort for the uncertain elements of life. Such a discussion served as a perfect bridge into Professor Stuart’s lecture on the Counter Reformation. While the Counter Reformation by the Catholic Church served to counteract the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther in 1517 with the posting of his 95 theses, it had much broader implications. I find it extremely interesting that one of the foundations of Protestantism is the attack on Catholicism as being magic. While Protestantism tries to veil its “magical” elements through principles like sola scriptura and denouncing practices like indulgences and such, it is undeniable that both religions attempt to define what is magic and what is religion. Whether it is by teaching or by scripture both denominations offer a system of guidance and belief for man to understand what is religion and what is magic. While the substance of the belief set may change, the principle is the same. While the Reformation and Counter Reformation were extremely important to the religious world in Europe and beyond, the two movements would have profound implications on the Habsburgs and Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years War. I find the relationship between the division of religions and the formation of statehood to be extremely interesting and influential on the formation.

Its amazing the impact that the Reformation and Counter Reformation had on European politics from the 17^th century through the 20^th century. While on the surface it was merely a division of religious orientation for the masses of Europe, the political impact on the Holy Romans Empire and greater Europe was huge. I see the siding of France during the 30 years war with the Protestant forces of Sweden and the Bohemian estates against the Habsburgs as an extremely significant impact of the Protestant Reformation. This showed how the French were willing to cross religious lines in favor of the political balance of power in Europe. I see this as not only a huge turning point for the religious dominance of state affairs, but an exposition of the move towards state building that France would embrace in the coming centuries. While religion still obviously played a large role in state affairs, its amazing the impact that the split of Christianity had political alliances in the 30 years war and beyond.

That afternoon we visited the Karlskirche, or St. Charles Church, which offered an opportunity I had not yet seen anywhere else in Vienna. The church was constructed under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI beginning in 1716 in honor of the emperor’s patron saint Charles Borromeo. The architecture is extremely baroque and has both Greek and Roman influence in the central façade and two columns, respectively. Personally, my favorite part of the church is the ability to take an elevator and then stairs up to the very top of the dome. This is something that I haven’t seen offered in any other church. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to see paintings on the inside of the dome close up and enjoy the amazing view from the top of the Church. The paintings seemed to reflect the purpose behind the construction of the church as Charles Borromeo is featured and seen healing with the support of the Virgin Mary. Since the church was built following the last outbreak of the plague, this would reflect the intervention of St. Charles healing those impacted by the epidemic. On the whole, the church was extremely interesting for its baroque architecture and ability to get up close to the beautiful paintings on the dome; I’m really excited to see more churches of that style.

The German word of the day is bereit and it means ‘ready’