The Anglican church of Christ Church, Vienna is located in central Vienna, Jaurèsgasse 17-19, off the Rennweg. Worship services are held in English on Sundays and Wednesdays. On the first Sunday of the month there is a service of Evensong (except for July and August).
Although there has been an Anglican priest in Vienna, acting as honorary chaplain to the British ambassador and ministering to the Anglican resident community, at least since the late 17th century, there has only been a permanent building since 1877. Previously services were held in the embassy chapel, from 1831 until 1874 in the Schenkenstraße and later demolished to make way for the new Burgtheater, thereafter in the new purpose-built embassy in the Metternichgasse.
From the middle of the 19th century there was a considerable increase in size of the British community living in Vienna, due especially to the establishment of ever more British businesses in Vienna as a result of closer economic ties between the United Kingdom and Austria. Following the building of the new embassy it soon became apparent that an Anglican church in Vienna was also required. The establishment of a permanent place of worship for the British community was proposed to the Austrian Government in 1874 by the British ambassador Sir Andrew Buchanan, but the plan was initially thwarted by a political obstacle.
In 1855 Pope Pius IX had concluded a concordat with Austria guaranteeing the prime recognition and privileges of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the Austrian Empire (and thereby maintaining a certain influence on Austrian politics). By 1870, however, following Italian unification, the Vatican had lost most of its temporal power in Italy and was attempting to increase its authority outside its limited sphere. This the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph objected to, and in 1874 Confessional Laws were passed annulling the Concordat of 1855 and regulating the relations of the Roman Catholic Church with the State.
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