Vienna was hit hard by a plague epidemic in 1712, but the situation finally improved in 1713. Charles VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, was grateful for the improvement. He wanted to build a church to celebrate, and he wanted it named after his namesake. Saint Charles Borromeo was called one of the great counter-reformers of the 1600s, as there was some backlash to the Protestant movement. He also was said to be able to heal plague sufferers.
So up it went, finished in 1737. Composer Antonio Vivaldi was buried there in 1741, but somehow his remains got lost. However, the church still puts on concerts in his honor.
On a happier note, in 1933 Hedwig Kiesler got married to Friedrich Mandi at this church. Kiesler had done some film work at that point in her life, but Mandi turned out to be a very controlling husband. But the only good side was that the husband introduced her to some members of the scientific community. Otherwise, Kiesler was rather miserable, and she ran away to Paris in 1937. She soon met Louis B. Mayer and moved to Hollywood. There she changed her name to Hedy Lamarr, and became a good-sized movie star. Along the way, she and a friend developed a new radar system that helped torpedoes avoid detection during World War II.
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