It is somewhat unusual: a medieval chapel in an underground station. But the Vergilius Chapel was only discovered in the course of building the underground in 1973, and is now a part of the Stephansplatz U3/U1 station. After a long renovation, it was opened in December 2015. The chapel was originally built in 1220/30 as a substructure for a planned chapel in the early Gothic style. In about 1246, the chapel was fitted out with murals and Celtic crosses in the niches. Later on, the Maria Magdalena Church was built over it. The church no longer exists today, but its outlines are still visible in the pavement around St. Stephen’s Square. The original building served a rich Viennese merchant family as a devotional chapel. Among other things, it included an altar for St. Vergilius (for which the chapel is named).

In the room next to the Vergilius Chapel, there is now a compact permanent exhibition about medieval Vienna. It centers on the chapel itself, its construction and possible use, but also its position in the shadow of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. A focal point is the spatial development of Vienna, from its Roman roots to the 16th century.