Fodor's Expert Review Dom

Gurk's claim to fame is its massive Romanesque Dom topped by two onion cupolas and considered the most famous religious landmark in Carinthia. It was founded in the 11th century by Hemma, Countess of Zeltschach, who after losing her two sons and husband decided to turn to religious works. She tied two oxen to a cart and let them walk until they stopped on their own. At that spot, she founded a cloister and gave all her belongings to the church to build a cathedral. Construction on the cathedral began in 1140 and ended in 1200, though Hemma wasn't canonized until 1938. Her tomb is in the crypt, whose ceiling, and hence the cathedral itself, is supported by 100 marble pillars. The Hemma-Stein, a small, green-slate chair from which she personally supervised construction, is also here, and alleged to bring fertility to barren women. In the church itself, the high altar is one of the most important examples of the early Baroque in Austria. Note the Pietà by George Rafael Donner, who is sometimes called the Austrian Michelangelo. Be sure to visit the bishop's chapel, which features rare late-Romanesque and Gothic frescoes. At the end of August and in early September, a concert series is held in the cathedral. Tours may be restricted by church services, but run daily at 11 and 2:30. Advanced reservations are required.