Votivkirche, Part II

It is a huge place. On this day, I was nearly alone here. You can almost imagine how, at night, without the light filling all the windows, this can seem a much cosier place.

Votivkirche

There was an assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853. To thank God for his survival, his brother, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian (who became the emperor of Mexico about a decade later) initiated a campaign to raise money to build a church. The church was dedicated in 1879 on the anniversary of Emperor Joseph and his wife Elizabeth (also known as Sissi and much loved in Hungary). Alas, Maximilian did not live to see this happen since he was killed in Mexico in 1867.