St. Erhard's Church
Initially built as a hospital chapel, St. Erhard is owned by the Nonnberg Convent. St. Erhard was a contemporary of Salzburg's patron, St. Rupert Rupert. Of Irish/Scottish heritage, St. Erhard was known as a miraculous healer of the sick and protector of the poor.
In 1689, the new Erhard Church was completed on the site of a small chapel, designed by the young architect Giovanni Gaspare Zugalli. In 1727 a cemetery was laid out opposite the church, but it was abandoned in the mid-19th century. In 1853 St Erhard's became a parish church and has remained so to this day. In its uniform Italian Baroque style, St Erhard's is one of the most remarkable sacred buildings in Salzburg.
The church is a masterpiece of Salzburg architecture originating in a period that was dominated by the Italian baroque style with all its extravagance, joy of life and wealth of colour and ornamentation. Its special features include the dome crowning the two square towers of the façade, the double flight of steps and a wall fountain with a lion's head gargoyle. The water was said to come from a mineral spring with purifying and life-giving properties.
The interior of St. Erhard's Church is characterized by rich colours and elaborate decoration by the brothers Francesco and Carl-Antonio Brenno. The painting on the high altar depicts "The Baptism of St. Ottilia by St. Erhard," painted in 1692 by Johann Michael Rottmayr. The spacious high altar, embellished with stucco marble, is the work of the sculptor Andreas Götzinger.
The figures sculpted in the high relief represent Salzburg's three founding bishops, St. Rupert, St. Vitalis and St. Virgil, as well as St. Martin of Tours. The four cardinal virtues, prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice, are attributed to the four bishops.
