Kirche Namen Jesu

From the ashes of destruction, a beacon of faith arose. The Kirche Namen Jesu, here in Vienna’s Meidling district, stands as a testament to resilience. This isn’t the first church to grace this spot. In 1932, a humble “Zweigroschenkirche” was built within a former leather factory. Funded by readers of a two-penny newspaper, it offered solace to the working-class community. The Kirche Namen Jesu, as the locals called it, held nearly 700 souls within its repurposed factory walls. Adorned with art from Vorarlberg, including a crucifix by Tyrolean artist Peter Sellemond, it became a spiritual haven. This sanctuary, however, met a tragic end during World War II. Bombings in 1944 and 1945 reduced it to rubble. Undeterred, the congregation continued their worship in a theater. Then, in 1950, the Kirche Namen Jesu was reborn. Architect Josef Vytiska designed a new brick edifice, large enough to accommodate 1000 people. The church we see today is his vision brought to life. Miraculously, Sellemond’s wooden crucifix survived the war’s devastation. It now hangs within the new Kirche Namen Jesu, a poignant link to the past. A statue of Mary, also by Sellemond, was saved as well. New artwork graces the church, including a ceiling mural by Karl Jamöck, stained-glass windows by Oswin Amann, and a relocated rose window by Albert Paris Gütersloh depicting the cardinal virtues. In 2005, artist Heinz Ebner added a fused glass cross behind Sellemond’s crucifix, further connecting the old with the new. He also designed the tabernacle. The Kirche Namen Jesu stands not only as a place of worship, but as a symbol of hope, rebuilt from the ruins of war to serve the community once more.