Back to St. Stephen's Cathedral

This is the day we choose to take a tour of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Now we do the deep dive to see more details of what this remarkable church has to offer. But, to give a little context, a few images on the way.

Around the corner from our hotel is the tram/subway/bus stop called Schwedenplatz. On this and several other mornings there are tables set up for a flea market. As you can see, it looks like a flea market just about everywhere else.

This building appears to have one been the home of the widow's and children's society for the Vienna medical college(s). 

But enough of the on-the-street stuff, let's get down to business. Not far after entering the cathedral, we come to this excessively carved stone pulpit. It dates from no later than 1480.

The large portraits represent the church fathers, right to left, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, and just around the corner where you can't see him, St. Gregory. Down close to the floor is the "window gazer". This is the artist representing himself.

Not shown in the photos are the details of the handrail and spirals up the column. If you view the handrail up close, you'd see that there are a collection of animals placed there: snakes, amphibians, frogs, and other curious animals. These are to dramatize the contrast between good and evil, light and dark, and the balance of all things in life.