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Johann Ernst Graf Thun was born on July 3, 1643 in Castelfondo (Trent) and was the stepbrother of Archbishop Guidobaldo Graf Thun. His father was the imperial governor of Prague. In pursuing his career, Johann Ernst Graf Thun succeeded in becoming Bishop of Seckau at the age of 36 and was elected to the archiepiscopal throne of Salzburg on June 30, 1687 after the death of Archbishop Max Gandolph von Kuenberg. Due to a number of fortunate circumstances his reign was to become the most glorious in Salzburg's history. Not only the city planning had his unique stamp impressed upon it: He contributed extensively to making Salzburg "the German Rome".
He was fortunate to win the services of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach a native of Graz, a few years after ascending the throne, who was entrusted with the principal building projects. His creations include St. John's Hospital just outside the gates of the city and the Church of the Holy in the New City (Makart Square) with the adjoining seminary. He brought the Ursuline Order from Klagenfurt to Salzburg, for whom he had a church and convent erected in the Gstättengasse, destroyed a few decades before by a landslide. He also had a collegiate church built for the University of the Benedictines which is still known as the Collegiate Church.
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach was commissioned with all of these magnificent building projects which were completed within the period of two decades. There are no invoices for this work since the archbishop financed the buildings out of his private funds. Salzburg received the attributes of a magnificent capital and residential town in the style of the Roman Baroque not only through the gifted architect, Fischer von Erlach, but also through congenial painters and sculptors. Johann Michael Rottmayr, born in Laufen/Salzburg, a student of Karl Loth in Venice, created great frescoes and altar paintings. The most prominent sculptors of the time were Johann Meinrad Guggenbichler and Simeon Fries.
The Archbishop created scholarships for the students of his time who were inducted into two colleges, the "Virgilianum" and "Siebenstädter". Presumably Johann Ernst saw his first Glockenspiel (carillon) as a young student in Holland; he had a carillon installed in the tower of the New Building of the Residence which still functions perfectly.
The pilgrimage church of Maria Kirchenthal, called the "Pinzgau Cathedral", just outside the walls of the city reflects his patronage. This building was also designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
Johann Ernst Graf Thun died on April 20, 1709 after five years of blindness, during which time he was assisted by his "coadjutor", Franz Anton, Count of Harrach.
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