St. Lukas (Graz)

St. Luke (2010)

The Church of St. Lukas is a Roman Catholic church in the 5th  district of Graz, Gries . The pastoral care center is a branch church of the parish St. Andrä and belongs to the dean's office Graz-Mitte of the city ​​church Graz .

History and design

The Styrian artist Othmar Krenn created the overall concept for an innovative church space. Before the church was consecrated to St. Luke in 1971 , services took place in an emergency service room for more than ten years. 1972–1994 St. Lukas was the branch of St. Andrä.

A central element of the interior is a stainless steel cross, which is leaned against the altar wall. The artist welded sand from Mount Sinai , the Negev desert , Wadi Arava and Mount Nebo into it . These places symbolize the forty years of wandering the Israelite people under the leadership of Moses through the desert. The shape of the tabernacle is reminiscent of God's tent among people . Modern elements have also been incorporated into the overall picture: there is a protective path on the way to the statue of the Virgin Mary, the eternal light at the tabernacle is a traffic light and the holy water font looks like a hydrant. This unusual design alludes to the location of the church next to the busy Eggenbergergürtel. The altar consists of a boulder that is partially encased in a steel jacket and forms the spiritual center of St. Luke. Small feathers are cast into the blue walls of the interior. Krenn created a contemporary, albeit very unusual, sacred building.

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. 166-169.

Coordinates: 47 ° 3 '53.1 "  N , 15 ° 25' 15.9"  E