A church of St. Peter is first mentioned in 1137, and the old church burned in 1661. Emperor Leopold I vowed to rebuild after the plague of 1679 and 1680, though the article does not call him the client. Gabriele Montani made the initial plan, work began around 1701, and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt replaced him in 1703. The text names Francesco Martinelli as main architect and Matthias Steinl as designer of the dome. The infobox also lists Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.
Most of the building was finished by 1722 and it was consecrated in 1733. It is Baroque, the first domed structure in Baroque Vienna, inspired by St. Peter's Basilica. The infobox gives a length of 164 feet (50 m) and a maximum height of 56.8 meters.
Cardinal Franz König transferred it to Opus Dei priests in 1970. A renovation from 1998 to 2004 restored the original colors.
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