Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II

The mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II next to the Graz Cathedral is a monumental sacral and representative building from the 17th century, which was connected by two different buildings. The 1614 begun and completed after decades Bauunterbrechungen 1714 system consists of St. Catherine and the subsequent grave Chapel for Kaiser Ferdinand II. And his family. Together they form one of the most significant architectural monuments of Austria from Mannerism, the transitional period from the Renaissance to the Baroque. For the complex, two different sacral buildings have been combined in plan and spatial concept: a church dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria and an oval central building adjoining it in the south as a funerary chapel for Emperor Ferdinand II and his family. To the east around the apse was an enclosing formwork around the sacristy and the Mesnerwohnung, which is crowned by a slender tower. The conception of the plant shows the ecclesiastical and dynastic representational intentions of the builder Ferdinand II: The cross-shaped ground plan of St. Catherine's Church points to the Christian belief that the oval shape of the funerary chapel is a symbol of resurrection. The crowning of the domes of St. Catherine's Church and funerary chapel in the form of scepter and imperial eagle with imperial sword and orb symbolize the Habsburg dynasty and its claim to power in the empire. In St. Catherine's Church, the patronal feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria not only refers to a medieval predecessor, but is also in context with the University of Graz, founded in 1585 by Archduke Karl II (the father of Ferdinand II) and led by the Jesuit order the patron saint of St. Catherine of Alexandria (patroness of the sciences). The sandstone figures on the west facade - representing St. Catherine, flanked by two angels and two persons converted to Christianity by her - and the painted copper plaques in the niches depicting the lives of the saints, not only make up the patron saint of the church and University-related program, but show in the converted to the Christian faith Porphyrius and Faustina also a counter-Reformation aspect. Built under the direction of Giovanni Pietro de Pomis, the building shows strong Italian influences on the building. Thus, the oval floor plan with an oval dome of the funerary chapel is the first of its kind outside of Italy.