Description of the attraction
Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a neo-Gothic church in the Austrian city of Graz. The construction of the temple began in 1881, the architect was appointed Georg Hauberrieser, a native of Graz, the architect of the Munich City Hall. Construction lasted 6 years and was completed in 1887. The church was built in the neo-Gothic style with a central nave. The church is the third tallest in Austria after St. Stephen's Cathedral and the New Cathedral in Linz, its height is 109.6 meters. The consecration took place on June 5, 1891, and the parish church began to function only on October 10, 1902.
The church contains stained glass windows, which are a prime example of Gothic style stained glass art, of which few have survived in Austria. On both sides of the central nave, there are small chapels with wall paintings. All bronze bells were dismantled during the First World War. As a result, steel bells were installed for economic reasons.
The church frescoes were created by the painter Karl Karger. 12 frescoes create a closed cycle that begins with the worship of Christ and ends with the crucifixion. Each of the 12 images is accompanied by an explanatory Bible quote. In preparation for the centenary of the church in 1991, the altar was reconstructed in 1988 by the architect Gustav Troger.
In 2004 and 2005, a large-scale renovation of the church was carried out.
