The church of St. Charles Borromeo is a baroque church (with touches of Rococo, Greek, Romanesque and Oriental) and is a symbol of the religious and political power of the imperial Habsburg dynasty.

During the severe plague epidemic that struck Vienna in 1713 and claimed the lives of some 80,000 people, Emperor Charles VI promised that as soon as the city was free of this calamity he would erect a church dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan and hero of the plague epidemic of 1576. The year after the epidemic, a competition for the design of the church was announced and awarded to Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The funds for the construction of the church were provided by the Jews of Vienna.

Construction began in 1716, and after the architect's death in 1723, the work was continued by his son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach until its completion in 1737.

It is a masterpiece of Baroque eclecticism, combining different styles: the central façade is a Greek portico, the columns at the side are Baroque-inspired, and the entrance is dominated by a gigantic dome. The two side pavilions show influences of Roman Baroque and Oriental decoration. 1 The building is 80 metres high and 60 metres wide, and is the second largest church in the capital after St. Stephen's Cathedral.