Parish Church of St. Vitus

The parish church of Graz-St. Veit is a notable place of worship. St. Vitus is a Roman Catholic church located in the district of St. Vitus, which is part of the twelfth district of Graz, known as Andritz.The church is dedicated to St. Vitus and serves as the parish church of Graz-St. Veit in the Graz-North deanery of the Graz City Church.

The parish church of St. Veit is the central focus of the town center, and it is also the reason why the place was originally called Gabriach, derived from the Slavic word “gaber” meaning “white beech.”The mention of the parish church can be traced back to a document from 1226. In the early 17th century, it is likely that a new Gothic building was constructed on the site. This building would have included a rood screen, tabernacle, and winged altar. Additionally, there was a carved image of Vespers dating back to around 1510/1515, which is currently housed in the pilgrimage church Ulrichsbrunn in Andritz. It is possible that this image originated from the aforementioned church.

The church was constructed in its present Renaissance style in 1657 and was officially consecrated in 1662.The design of the structure was created by the renowned Italian master builder, Domenico Sciassia, who was also responsible for constructing the Basilica of Mariazell.The baroque high altar, constructed by Hans Adam Weißenkirchner (1646-1695), was completed in 1680.The impressive church tower was constructed in 1713 and underwent renovations in 1951.The church underwent renovations in 1972 and 2004 for its exterior, and in 1976 and 1999 for its interior.New bells were installed in 1996.The organ was constructed in 1981 by the Krenn organ building workshop in Graz.Walter Vonbank (Triebendorf/Murau) revised it in 2008.

A visually striking archway serves as a covered passage across the street, connecting the vicarage and the parish church.

The parish and the church are of the same age.The parish of St. Veit, which is currently economically robust, encompasses not only the town of St. Veit itself, but also Weinzödl, St. Gotthard, portions of Oberandritz, and the municipality of Stattegg.There is a branch church called Maria Schutz located in Kalkleiten.Furthermore, the Creation Chapel in Stattegg is also diligently cared for in a pastoral manner.

Gerhard Platzer currently serves as the pastor of Graz-St. Veit and holds the position of Dean of the Graz-North Deanery.Franz Schuster serves as a pastoral assistant and is responsible for pastoral care in Stattegg.