Institute of English Misses

Baroque educational institution with artistic splendor . Behind one of the most magnificent baroque facades in Lower Austria, the former Institute of the English Ladies, which today houses the Mary Ward Schools of Austria, stands in Linzer Straße. The rich history of the building is closely linked to the development of female education and Baroque architecture in St. Pölten - and to the names of some of the most important artists and architects of the era.

A place of education for girls - since 1706

The institute was founded in 1706 by Jakob Freiherr von Kriechbaum as a school for girls - a progressive institution at a time when women's education was by no means a matter of course. The first part of the building was occupied as early as 1709: a narrow building to the left of today's dominant double portal, which originally had entrances on both sides.

In 1714, the adjoining building on the right was acquired, where Jakob Prandtauer built a chapel, which was consecrated in 1718. This original chapel room is now part of the presbytery of the church.

Baroque façade with theological imagery

The impressive, broad baroque façade with the central double portal was first created between 1767 and 1769, probably under the direction of Mathias Munggenast, when the chapel was extended to the west. The sculptural decoration on the façade was probably created by Andreas Gruber and shows (from left to right) St. Anne, a guardian angel and St. Catherine of Alexandria at the bottom, with St. Joseph, Mary Immaculate and St. Ignatius of Loyola above - an impressive program of Baroque piety.

A church interior as a complete work of art

Today, the interior of the church is only accessible on special guided tours, but is one of the most important Baroque sacred spaces in the city. It consists of two square rooms of unequal size: Prandtauer's former chapel room, now used as a presbytery, and the nave, which was newly created during the renovation phase from 1767-1769 and was designed as a central room.

The 20-metre-high dome of the presbytery bears the important fresco "Revelation of the Incarnation of Christ" - the first work by the famous Tyrolean painter Paul Troger in Lower Austria. The ceiling painting in the main room, with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, is by Bartolomeo Altomonte.

The high altarpiece shows the "Immaculata Conceptio" - a work by Karl Reslfeld, a pupil of Franz Anton Maulbertsch. The two side altar paintings and the statues of the four Western Doctors of the Church - Gregory, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine - were also painted by Reslfeld and complete the Baroque work of art.

Educational tradition in new hands

Although many religious orders were abolished under Joseph II, the Institute of the English Ladies continued to exist thanks to its social importance. From 1875, it ran schools with public rights - a tradition that continues to this day.

The last sisters of the Congregatio Jesu now live in the baroque Lilienhof in Stattersdorf. The building in Linzer Straße is now home to the Mary Ward Schools of Austria, with an elementary school, secondary school and a secondary school for economics - and so the spirit of education that Baron von Kriechbaum once inspired is still alive today.