Church of Maria im Elend in Straßgang

Frontal view (southwest)

Side view (northwest)

Sanctuary

Rectory

Jubilee Chapel

The church Maria im Elend zu Straßgang is a Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage church in Graz's 16th  district of Straßgang . In a Maria Misery Church , the flight to Egypt from the child murderer Herod is commemorated; this incident is part of the second of seven sorrows of Mary . The feast of patronage is therefore celebrated on the feast day of the Seven Sorrows of Mary , September 15th .

history

The church building is located on the northeast slope of Florianiberg above Straßgang in the Grazer Feld . The parish is one of the oldest founding parishes in Styria. Roman gravestones from the 2nd or 3rd century are walled into the outer walls of the church. A watchtower probably stood on the church hill before the church was founded. Since the 10th century there has been a church of St. George, which was owned by the Aribones and built in the Romanesque style, at this point. Some remains are still in the current building structure. The church came into the possession of the Admont Benedictine monastery and was raised to an independent parish church in 1140. In the 15th century, the church was expanded to include the presbytery and new altars were added in the Baroque period . Two chapels and the sacristy were added to the nave . The also baroque roof turret comes from the architect Johann Georg Stengg . The top of the tower is closed off by an onion dome made of copper sheet .

layout

Neo-Gothic portals lead to a Gothic interior with baroque furnishings. Behind the altar, which was redesigned in 1990 , is the high altar in the baroque style, created in 1727 and 1728 by the Graz sculptor Johann Jacob Schoy . In its center is the late Gothic Strassganger Madonna, after the image of a protective cloak Madonna . The portrait of the emperor under her coat shows a portrait of Emperor Friedrich III. and that of the Pope that of Pius II. Above the miraculous image there are representations of the Holy Trinity . The cartridges of Maria Elend's daughter churches are shown on gilded relief plates.

The triumphal arch wall is adorned with the Mother Anna altar and a modern crucifixion picture, which replaces the destroyed baroque altar panel. On the pulpit, which was designed by Jakob Peyer in 1773 , the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and love can be found in their respective forms of representation. The altars in the side chapels are dedicated to St. Francis of Paola and St. Anthony of Padua . The draft for the liturgical reorganization (folk altar, ambo, sessio, candlestick) comes from Jörg Uitz (1990).

literature

• Alois Kölbl, Wiltraud Resch: Paths to God. The churches and synagogue of Graz. 2nd, expanded and supplemented edition. Styria, Graz 2004, ISBN 3-222-13105-8 , pp. 218-222.

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ The day of patronage in the Catholic liturgical calendar is September 15th.

Web links

Commons : Church of Maria im Elend zu Straßgang  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 1 ′ 19.5 ″  N , 15 ° 23 ′ 56.9 ″  E