Heiligenkreuzerhof, Schönlaterngasse and the Basilisk House
Why is it significant?
Step out of the quiet courtyard of the Heiligenkreuzerhof and into a narrow, bending lane, where an ornate wrought-iron lantern hangs from a wall. That lantern gave the lane its name: Schönlaterngasse, the lane of the beautiful lantern.
Key Facts
| Place | Heiligenkreuzerhof, Schönlaterngasse and the Basilisk House |
|---|---|
| Address | Schönlaterngasse 7, 1010 Wien, Austria |
| Geo Coordinates | 48.20960, 16.37750 |
| Part of Walk | Vienna's Old Town Lanes: Stephansdom, Roman Stones and Medieval Legends |
| Generated | Generated |
Step out of the quiet courtyard of the Heiligenkreuzerhof and into a narrow, bending lane, where an ornate wrought-iron lantern hangs from a wall. That lantern gave the lane its name: Schönlaterngasse, the lane of the beautiful lantern. The one you see is a copy; the original is kept in the Wien Museum.
The courtyard you just walked through has belonged since the thirteenth century to Heiligenkreuz Abbey, a Cistercian monastery in the Vienna Woods. Monasteries kept town houses like this to sell their wine, store their grain and lodge their monks when they came to the city. It is one of the calmest corners of the old town, with a small Baroque chapel tucked into it.
Now look for the house at number 7, with a painting and a strange stone creature set into the facade. That is the basilisk. The legend says that in 1212 a baker's apprentice went to draw water from the well in this house and found the water stinking. Down in the well sat a monster, half rooster, half toad, whose gaze could kill anyone who met it.
The townspeople were desperate until somebody remembered the old wisdom: a basilisk dies when it sees its own reflection. So the brave apprentice climbed down with a mirror, held it up, and the creature saw itself and burst, or turned to stone, depending on who tells it. The well was filled in, and the house has been called the Basilisk House ever since.
Historians have a duller explanation: the well probably gave off foul gases, and somebody found something odd in it, perhaps a fossil or a strange stone. But Vienna has never preferred the dull version of anything. Now follow the lane to Sonnenfelsgasse and turn into the square in front of the twin towers of the Jesuit church.