Interior of the St. Stephen Cathedral

The interior of the St. Stephen Cathedral in Vienna does not follow the classical style of a Gothic cathedral, the 3-nave hall gets by without a transept and is oriented towards the choir room. Duke Rudolf IV initiated the hall choir (with the laying of the foundation stone in 1359), whereby the previously existing Albertine choir was rebuilt in the form of a shell and thus church services could continue to be held during the almost 100 years of construction work.

Each of the naves is iconographically related to a theme, documented by the columned saints: the central nave with altar refers to Jesus Christ and St. Stephen, the southern aisle (pictured right) to the apostles, and the northern aisle to the Mother of God. The background of the slight bend in the central choir to the north, possibly caused by the easting, is unclear.