Glass door at St. Stephen’s Cathedral destroyed with a hammer

The police, who were already present in large numbers, immediately arrested the perpetrator. Cathedral priest Toni Faber, who only returned to Vienna from abroad late on Sunday evening, was dismayed by the incident on Monday morning.

He couldn’t say anything about the person arrested, in any case there shouldn’t be any political or similar motives. The man is more likely to have mental problems. The destroyed door was provisionally secured. The glass door has only been around since mid-July. For decades, the Singertor of St. Stephen’s Cathedral could only be visited on special tours, now the glass door gave a view into the protective portal porch hall with Gothic stonework art. The Singertor, the southern entrance to the cathedral, is the cathedral’s most important Gothic art monument. It depicts the life and conversion of Saint Paul.

With the view of the Gothic portal, however, it is over for the time being. Because those responsible for the cathedral have reinstalled the old metal wall as a temporary measure. According to Dompfarrer Faber, however, this should not be a permanent condition. There should be a glass door again or a solution should be found that allows the best possible view of the portal even at different times of the day or lighting conditions.