ÖZKD LXXVII Heft 2, pp. 17-25, 2024/04/23
Der Linzer Mariendom
Bishop Franz J. Rudigier took the dogma of the Immaculate Conception as an opportunity to build a monumental cathedral in Linz. In April 1855 he called for a “beautiful and large temple in the Gothic or Byzantine style”. Shortly afterwards the decision was made in favour of the Gothic style. The article argues that this stylistic decision was not only motivated by matters of aesthetic taste; rather, the choice of the Gothic (Revival) style was also part of efforts to pursue an ambitious project of social reform. The cathedral’s construction is indicative of an attempt at moral mobilisation and social education in the spirit of Catholicism. By employing the Gothic style, iconography and value system which followed an idealised retrospective view of the Middle Ages, the cathedral became the focal point of a wide-reaching popular campaign for Christian values and community. Catholic periodicals, consulted as source materials, demonstrate that Gothic (Revival)architecture was used both as a stylistic device and as a built vision for constructing Church and society.