St. Stephen's Cathedral / Vienna

Stephansplatz is a square at the center of Vienna with two of the most famous and beautiful shopping streets in Vienna, Graben and  Kärntner Straße. The name "Stephansplatz" comes from St. Stephen's Cathedral, the most important religious building in Vienna and one of the tallest churches in the world. 
Its architectural style is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles, and it is so elaborately built that every angle one sees the cathedral from is stunning and majestic. The mixture of the different styles is most visible from the towers; the South tower, the highest point of the cathedral, was built first from 1368 to 1433, taking 65 years to construct. Although the North tower was originally intended to mirror the South tower, by the time the construction had began the Gothic era was nearing its end, making the design a formidable task. After a 60 year halt in the construction, towards the later half of the 16th century, a "renaissance cap" was placed. It stands about half the height of the South Tower. The West tower, on the other hand, are Romanesque.

I really like the roof of the cathedral because let's face it- it's a very unusual design for a cathedral. I love the mosaic tiles. The bright colors of yellow, green, and light blue are tasteful and in contrast to the rest of the building, the roof looks quite modern. Just like the striking contrast between St. Stephen's Cathedral and Haas-Haus (a modern glass and steel building that stands opposite the cathedral), the roof and the rest of the cathedral, while contrastive in design, seem to mix harmoniously. 

When I visited St. Stephen's Cathedral, I was simply awestruck. The first European Cathedral I visited was jackpot! After looking at pictures of the magnificent cathedrals and churches in Europe and dreaming over and over again of the moment I would look up and have my breath taken away, you can say I had quite a bit of an expectation. But reality didn't just live up to my expectations; it completely knocked me off my feet! It's so difficult to describe beauty because no matter how hard I try, I know words will not justify the grandeur of this cathedral. 

Though I do have pictures to remind me of how it looked like, I know I will never forget that feeling of being completely mesmerized by this beautiful cathedral standing against the skyline.