Linz Downtown is, for us, the Hauptplatz or Main Square area, and its Cathedrals and Plague Column, see Linz, Main Square area.
Uptown:
The Castle Hill.
On any cliff-hilltop area people found refuge from invaders for centuries. If you decide to walk up the Linz cliff area, from the Main Square, be prepared for endless stairs, and stairs, and stairs. At the top, castle, gardens, old church.
A. St. Martin's Church, from the 700's. Its fresco, legends, and architecture.
1. History. Charlemagne behind it.
Here is the 8th Century St. Martin's Church. Charlemagne ordered that it be built. See ://www.destination360.com/europe/austria/linz/. Handy building materials: Roman rubble.
St. Martin's Church, Linz, Austria, 8th Century. Martinskirche..
But there is more of interest here than old architecture. To pin it down, we need a better photo of the wall fresco at St.Martin's there, but there may be a connection between the representation there, and the Black Christ at Lucca, Italy. FN 1
2. Legend at Martinskirche - The Golden Shoes
See the fresco inside the church.
There is a story that is reflected inside Old St. Martin's: The Golden Shoes.
Legend tells of a miracle: That a poor man passed by Christ (the Christ here is on the cross), and Christ gave him one of his golden shoes. Was the man a Jew? Perhaps. In the town, the man was accused of theft, and they hauled him away to be hanged. On the way to the gallows, they all passed Christ. Christ gave him the second golden shoe, and the man was exonerated.
The legend is not included in guidebooks or sites we have found. The golden shoes theme of the fresco may or may not be so. See ://www.sacred-destinations.com/austria/linz-st-martin-church-martinskirche.htm; ://www.linz.at/english/Tourism/1146.asp/
Fresco, Christ with golden shoes, inside St. Martin's Church, Linz, Austria.Golden shoes are visible there, we think, barely. We took our photo through the gate grate, angling the camera in and shooting blind because the church is lock-boxed. Gate shut, but door open so you can at least see. Getting in takes a guide, arranged from elsewhere in advance. Here, someone from the tour that just ended, gave an overview of the guide's guiding. Totem pole hearsay.
3. Theme - An echo of Lucca's Black Christ here at Martinskirche?
From another St. Martin's, in Lucca, Italy, same era?
Look up other St. Martin's churches. We find one at Lucca, Italy, same era. And we find a reference, to the Holy Face, or "Volto Santo", at JSTOR research site. Go to the Iconology of Pictorial Folk Art, at at ://www.jstor.org/pss/901801/ There may be another story, about the inspiration for the theme - from another St. Martin's, in Lucca, Italy, where there is a Black Christ, a large wooden statue said to have come ashore in a crewless boat, centuries ago, and now venerated.
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Now, look back at the fresco, our photo here. It is faded, as old unrestored frescoes are, but it looks like Lucca's in shape, with the robe Maybe not. Have to go back. FN 3, on our hunt so far, for the theme of the Black Christ.
4. Architectural evolution: Martinskirche, Linz
Evolution is not just for species. It is also for beliefs, and architecture that promotes those beliefs.
Our hearsay tourist told us the guide said that many of the earliest churches were round, to reflect the equal standing of all Christians, a roundtable concept, no man better than another, and women freely participating and leading. As dogma grew, however, the Church decided it needed Leaders, and then Followers would stand somewhere else, and women were barely allowed in at all. So the architecture of St. Martin's still shows, outside, the foundations of the earlier round church, the shape changed into the rectangle, the cross shape of dogma. True? Experts, help out here.
Round foundation, Old St. Martin's Church, Linz, Austria.
Look at the foundations of old St. Stephen's in Linz. The original structure was round.
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St. Martin's Church, Linz, Austria: Round foundation, for the equality of all believers..
Dan and new hiker friend, Martinskirche, Linz, AustriaB. Castle hill = Castle; Roman Ruins; and, who are these people?
Castle hill, Linz. Mystery column..
Usually columns hold things up, or support great figures. Who are these? Linz. 
Roman ruins, Castle hill, Linz, Austria
Castle Gate, Castle hill, Linz, Austria
View to Postlingberg Mountain and monastery, across Danube, from Castle Hill, Linz, AustriaThere is the Postlingberg mountain, monastery on top, see ://www.travelwebdir.com/travelarticles/Linz---The-Capital-of-Upper-Austria-1840.html
Footnotes follow on research issues from St. Martin's, Martinskirche. And copyright.
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FN 1 Religious themes as keys to history, not presented as faith-based.
Why bother looking into whether the Black Christ at St. Martin's at Lucca, Italy, inspired the fresco here at St. Martin's at Linz?
Any visit to Europe is laden with history, invasions and people's religions. For millenia, theology under-girded people's wars against each other, and theology still does. So to discuss an old religious wall fresco and to explore what it means is a matter, to us, of finding roots of current issues.
Second, as to a possible connection between this St. Martin's and the St. Martin's at Lucca, Italy, as to themes, there are many Black Madonnas. But the Lucca Christ is the first Black Christ - an ancient one, not newly ethnic - we have seen. What others are there, with the blackness shunted aside, as with the Black Madonnas. This one takes a return visit - to get a better picture. If the Martinskirche Christ is not black at all, and I think I would have noticed, but the fresco is very faded, then is the golden shoes theme still there.
FN 2 Copyright: Competing interests. Society's interest in paying researchers and creative people so they will do it; vs. spread of ideas.
How to justify having to pay to see something before you know what you are buying. Squelches spread of ideas. Instead, let the government pay the author as people show interest, click by click, out of a pool. Let the knowledge out.
Finding Martin: Other source: Google on St. Martin - stories and legends at http://books.google.com/books?id=iqHPHTKTyKIC&pg=PA298&lpg=PA298&dq=legend+of+Christ+and+the+golden+shoes&source=bl&ots=ctWT21_ygZ&sig=s5o6I_xiteja0EP_MykgY8ADEK0&hl=en&ei=t47wSrzkOcLNlAfno4z6CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=&f=false/
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FN 3. Theme of the Black Christ?
THEME OF THE BLACK CHRIST.
Looking up the story, we checked St. Martin's life for a story inspiring use of the golden shoes idea.
Martin lived in the 4th Century, and is known for giving half his cloak to a beggar (half counts as a whole?) and the remaining half became a treasured relic when he became a saint. See ://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09732b.htm/ Look up "Golden Slippers" and find something else - a spiritual. In heaven, going to put on my golden slippers. Stories have legs. See ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_Dem_Golden_Slippers/
However, JSTOR requires payment to read their material, even before you know you are interested in it. Here. You pay and let us know. FN 2 on copyright.
Black Christ of Lucca, Italy. Is the fresco here at St. Martin's at Linz, derived from the Volto Santo, Holy Face, from St. Martin's Cathedral, at Lucca, Italy? See ://www.stgemma.com/gallery/eng_volto_sancto.html/ Note the black face. There are many Black Madonnas - why not Black Christs? And are there golden shoes on this figure? Somebody go back to Linz and look closely and compare.
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