Old Church (St. Bartholomä)
The Old Church is the former Catholic parish church of Sankt Bartholomä in Styria . Until 1838 the church was surrounded by a cemetery. The old church lost its function as a parish church in 1867 when the new parish church was built . Today it is used as a funeral hall and concert room , despite its affiliate church status . The "Korenstub´n" is located in the bell tower and houses a permanent exhibition about the politician Hanns Koren , the founder of steirischer herbst .
location
The church stands on a ridge between two small ditches, on which a cart used to run. The way went from the Liebochtal to the nearby old rectory, which no longer stands today. The church was built in a way that a certain defensive strength was given.
layout
The church is not a typical fortified church . It consists of the actual nave, a presbytery , a sacristy and the bell tower with an onion roof . A net vault vaults the nave and a ribbed vault the presbytery. The stained glass windows in the nave were designed by Rudolf Poitner in 1975 . They show the legend of the apostle Bartholomew . The four symbols of the evangelists can be found in the presbytery . At the rear of the church remains of the old cemetery wall are preserved.
history
The church was probably built around 1200 by the Lords of Plankenwarth and initially had a flat wooden ceiling. The sacristy was initially located on the ground floor of the bell tower, which is one of the oldest components . The first written mention of a pastor is dated 1319. In 1446 a presbytery was added to the east side of the church. The nave was also decorated with wall paintings, some remains of which are preserved today. A new sacristy with a barrel vault was probably built at this time on the north side . At the beginning of the 16th century, a net vault replaced the flat wooden ceiling.
Between 1789 and 1791 the church was restored and redesigned. A pulpit and an organ gallery , with access via the bell tower, were built. In 1824, the clapboard - clad spire of the bell tower was renewed and the tower was raised by one storey. Because of the cemetery that was built too close to the church, part of the church wall gave way and cracked in 1834. Since it was feared that the entire building could collapse, iron locks were pulled in and the construction of a new church began. The cemetery was moved to its current location in 1838. The New Church was inaugurated in 1867 and the Old Church only served as a holy grave during Holy Week . In 1933 the - partially collapsed - presbytery was torn down. After penetrating rainwater loosened a layer of newer paintings, old wall paintings came to light.
In 1975 Hanns Koren organized the renovation of the church, which was ceremoniously opened on November 21, 1976. A lightning strike in 1988 destroyed the bell tower, which was restored a short time later. Today the old church is used as a funeral hall and concert and museum space. The sacred building is the starting point for processions on Candlemas , on Palm Sunday and on Thanksgiving .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Mag. P. Clemens Brandtner: Old Parish Church. www.hitzendorf.graz-seckau.at, accessed on February 3, 2016 (German).
- ↑ a b c Sights in St. Bartholomä. www.st-bartholomae.gv.at, accessed on July 31, 2011 (German).
- ↑ a b c Mag. P. Clemens Brandtner: History of the parish. www.hitzendorf.graz-seckau.at, accessed on February 3, 2016 (German).
Coordinates: 47 ° 4 ′ 15.9 ″ N , 15 ° 15 ′ 22.6 ″ E