The former convents of medieval Vienna

By the 13th century four convents had already been established within the city fortifications of Vienna. These were the Cistercian convent in the Singerstrasse (a branch of the main convent in front of the Stubentor), the Premonstratensian convent of St. Agnes in the Himmelpforte, St. Jacob`s convent of Augustinian canonesses on the Huelben and the Dominican convent of St. Lawrence at the Fleischmarkt. Two further establishments, the Cistercian convent of St. Nicholas in front of the Stubentor and the Maria Magdalena convent in front of the Schottentor, were located in the immediate roximity of the city wall. During the 14th century, they were joined by the Poor Clares` convent of St. Clare and the St. Hieronymus penitents` house for women. Although the convents have completely disappeared from the city as we know it today, in medieval Vienna they stood one next to the other in a very confined space. Despite these regrettable losses, the structures and interiors of the Viennese convents can still be faithfully reconstructed due to a variety of available sources. The primary aim of the research project is to investigate these buildings with the aid of art-historical criteria such as architecture, arrangement of rooms, structural classification and interior design elements. A second aspect of the research proposal is dedicated to exploring the social-historical environment of the nuns and showing their interrelationship with public life. Here, the main aims are to investigate the points of contact between the religious sisters and city society, and to depict the locations of public and convent life. The "architecturally shaped place" plays a vital role in establishing effective communication between these two apparently irreconcilable positions of female religiousness and public life.