Kirche St. Blasius - St. Blaise's Church
At the end of Salzburg's Getreidegasse, directly on the cliff of the Mönchsberg, stands the heritage-protected St. Blaise's church. Its roots go back to the 12th century.
As early as 1185, a chapel in honour of St. Blaise was built near the Gstättentor. In 1330, a church was built there which was closely connected to the Bürgerspital [civic hospital]. This name was given to the adjacent hospital because the citizens of the town provided for the physical well-being of those in need of care. St. Blaise is considered an advocate and patron saint of the sick.
St. Blaise's Church was the first hall church built in Salzburg whose nave and aisles were of equal height. The church interior is Gothic, and separated by an ornate rococo lattice. The real gem of the church is a delicate late-Gothic sacrament shrine (around 1460), which probably once served as a reliquary. It has the form of an elaborately designed filigree church with a small oriel. The unusual classicist high altar dates from 1785.
The former oratory of the church is now largely partitioned off and serves as a venue for concerts and Advent serenades under the name "Gothic Hall". The area of the former Bürgerspital also includes the inner courtyard of the Admonter Hof, which now houses the Toy Museum.
