Church of St. Sebastian

The Church of St. Sebastian ( Sebastianskirche ) is a Roman Catholic church in the Austrian city of Salzburg that overlooks the Linzergasse.It is built in the Baroque style.The church is dedicated to the martyr Saint Sebastian (whose feast day is January 20th).It is attached to the Saint-Sébastien cemetery (where Mozart’s wife is buried) and the Saint-Sébastien brotherhood, which was previously a brother’s hospice.

The original church was erected after 1500 by the Saint-Sébastien brotherhood and consecrated in 1511 1. The hospice where the brothers work is dedicated to caring for the critically ill, particularly those suffering from the plague, and the church serves as their chapel. They also look after the Saint-Sébastien cemetery, which was located outside the city walls at the time and was also known as the plague cemetery (Pestfriedhof).

The current church, built in the Baroque Rococo style, dates from the mid-eighteenth century. It was dedicated in 1754. It was a branch of the parish of Saint-André. The vast ceiling frescoes and the antique altar artwork, painted by Paul Troger, were destroyed in the 1818 city fire. The church was not completed until 1821. On November 11, 1944, the church was attacked by aircraft bombing and afterwards renovated.

The high altar was built around 1750 and was rebuilt following the 1818 fire. During the city fire, the painting that was part of the Baroque altarpiece and depicted Saint Sebastian was destroyed.The Madonna and Child monument was created in the Hans Waldburger circle in 1610.

The side altars depict the Holy Family (Johann Michael Sattler, 1821) and the Immaculate Conception (Franz N. Streicher, before 1800).Sebastian Stief (1848) created the altar paintings in the center (Saint Donatien and Saint Barbara), while Johann Michael Sattler (1821) created the ones in the backdrop (Saint Roch and Saint Florian).

The pulpit’s soundboard depicts Moses (about 1820). The organ was built in 1828 by organ maker Karl Mauracher (1789-1844). It contains a total of twelve registers.