St. Mary's Cathedral Linz

Recognizing your own ancestors on the cathedral window

Researcher Christina Wais-Wolf in the Schlierbach stained glass windows(Bild: Einöder Horst)

It was an open family secret: "My grandmother is depicted on one of the stained glass windows in St. Mary's Cathedral," says Johann Müllehner from Vöcklabruck. Now he has opened the family archive for research. Art historian Christina Wais-Wolf hopes that more people will come forward whose ancestors can be seen on the cathedral windows.

It's a rare coincidence: Johann Müllehner (62) from Vöcklabruck saw the stained glass window depicting his great-grandparents and grandmother (as a young girl) for the first time during his confirmation in St. Mary's Cathedral in Linz. "My confirmation sponsor showed me the window back then," he recalls. His ancestors were depicted - along with many others - because they once supported the construction of the cathedral financially.

(Bild: BDA Bettina Sidonie Neubauer)

Johann Müllehner recognized relatives from the stained glass window (above)(Bild: ZVg)

Depiction was really "photorealistic"
Many stained glass windows are currently being restored. Müllehner therefore turned to expert Christina Wais-Wolf and made the family archive available to her. Using historical photographs and documents, Wais-Wolf, who conducts research for the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was able to prove the identities beyond doubt. "It is very rare for descendants to recognize and precisely identify their relatives on the cathedral windows," says Wais-Wolf.