On the site of the present church stood one of the oldest sacred buildings in Vienna, founded in 792 by Charlemagne, of which nothing remains today.
In 1701, the construction of the new Peterskirche, the present church, was begun, initially to plans by Gabriele Montani, who was succeeded two years later by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, who designed the concave facade and the dome. The architect Francesco Martinelli directed the works. The church of St. Peter is inserted between other architectures, developing mainly in height, within a narrow space. The central part, surmounted by a large dome, is flanked by two turrets, the work of Matthias Steinl, author of many of the interior decorations. The baldachin above the portal on the façade was designed in 1753 by Andreas Altomonte.
The interior, with its characteristic oval plan, has the surface of the dome completely frescoed with the Coronation of Our Lady, a work of 1713 by Johann Michael Rottmayr.
