Vaduz Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Florin) in Vaduz, Liechtenstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Vaduz Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Florin); Credit – By Dennis Jarvis – https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/19466233250, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41624144

The neo-gothic Vaduz Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of St. Florin, is a Roman Catholic church located in Vaduz, the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The patron saint of the cathedral is St. Florin who was a priest in Remüs or Ramosch, now a small village in Switzerland. Miracles were attributed to him during his life, including the turning of water into wine. After his death in 856, numerous miracles were said to have taken place at his tomb in the parish church of Remüs. St. Florin is often depicted with a wine cup as can be seen below in a bust of him at the Vaduz Cathedral.

Bust of St. Florin at Vaduz Cathedral; Credit- By Dennis Jarvis – https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/19658735861, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41623841

There had been a chapel in Vaduz dedicated to St. Florin since the Middle Ages that served the needs of the Counts of Vaduz. The Liechtenstein family purchased the County of Vaduz in 1712 from the Hohenems family. In 1719, Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor elevated the territories of the Liechtenstein family to a Fürstentum (Principality) with the name the Principality of Liechtenstein.

The nave and the choir of Vaduz Cathedral; Credit – Von Cats’ photos – Eigenes Werk, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50950021

By 1868, St. Florin Chapel could no longer meet the demands of the Principality of Liechtenstein, and a decision was made to build a new church. The area south of St. Florin Chapel was chosen as the site of the new church. German architect Friedrich von Schmidt, who completed Cologne Cathedral and designed and built the Vienna City Hall designed the church and it was built under the direction of Liechtenstein architect Ignaz von Banko. The foundation stone was laid on August 17, 1869, and the church was consecrated in October 1873. The church was built during the reign of Prince Johann II who paid three-quarters of the construction cost. From 1965 – 1966, the church was renovated and a baptistery was added. In 1997, the church was raised to the status of a cathedral.

Christenings

The christening of Prince Nikolaus in 2000

There is limited information about the christenings of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. However, the four children of Hereditary Prince Alois were christened at Vaduz Cathedral.

  • Prince Joseph Wenzel: born May 24, 1995, christened July 3, 1995
  • Princess Marie-Caroline: born October 17, 1996, christened December 16, 1996
  • Prince Georg: born April 21, 1999, christened May 13, 1999
  • Prince Nikolaus: born December 6, 2000, christened January 13, 200

Weddings

The wedding of Princess Tatjana and Baron Philipp von Lattorff in 1999

This may not be a complete list.

Royal Burials

The Princely Crypt, Vaduz Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of Karl I, the first Prince of Liechtenstein, his brother Maximilian founded the Paulan monastery in Vranov, then in territory owned by the Liechtenstein family in Moravia, later in Czechoslovakia, now in the Czech Republic. Burial crypts were built there for members of the House of Liechtenstein. In 1945, the land owned by the House of Liechtenstein in Czechoslovakia was appropriated by the Czech Communist government. This necessitated the building of a new burial place at Vaduz Cathedral. The Princely Crypt, located next to the cathedral, was designed by the Liechtenstein architect Hans Rheinberger (link in German)  and completed in 1960.

The interior of the Princely Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

Below are the members of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein buried in the Princely Crypt. Those who died before the completion of the Princely Crypt in 1960 were originally buried elsewhere.

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kathedrale St. Florin (Vaduz) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathedrale_St._Florin_(Vaduz)> [Accessed 25 October 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Vaduz Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaduz_Cathedral> [Accessed 25 October 2021].
  • Ics.li. 2021. Pfarrei Vaduz – Die Kirchen. [online] Available at: <https://www.ics.li/pfarreivaduz/CFDOCS/cms/cmsout/index.cfm?GroupID=110&MandID=1&meID=3&Lang=1> [Accessed 25 October 2021].
  • Luxarazzi.com. 2021. Luxarazzi 101: Kathedrale St. Florin. [online] Available at: <http://www.luxarazzi.com/2015/08/luxarazzi-101-kathedrale-st-florin.html> [Accessed 25 October 2021].