Parish Church of the Holy Blood

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Blood, also known as Propstei, is the Main and City Parish Church of Graz-Hl. Blood. It is situated in the Inner City district of Graz.The church is known as the parish church of Graz-St. Blood and is located in the Graz-Mitte Deanery of the Graz City Church.

The suggestion to build the first church in this place was made by Emperor Friedrich III in 1440.The Corporis Christi chapel, which was completed a quarter of a century ago, was later given to the Dominican Order.The small three-bay chapel was expanded starting in 1478, and the expansion included an elongated chancel. However, the construction of the chancel was not finished until 1520. In 1585, when the Jesuit order took over the then parish church of St. Ägyd (which is now known as Graz Cathedral), a new parish church was required. As a result, the Dominicans were instructed to construct a new church. To make space for this purpose, Archduke Charles II cleared their monastery. The Church of the Holy Blood was then elevated to the status of a parish church. It’s worth noting that St. Ägyd had previously served as a parish church until 1573, and later became the cathedral of the diocese in 1786 after being relocated from Seckau.

The main hall of the church showcases the distinctive mendicant gothic style in its architecture. However, the facade of the church was later designed in the baroque style. A notable feature of the facade is the roof turret, which has a copper helmet. This turret was constructed in 1780 based on the designs by Josef Stengg.During the 19th century, the baroque altars underwent a replacement with neo-gothic ones.The only remaining structures from that time are the Johannes Nepomuk chapel, designed by Josef Hueber in the baroque style, and the former high altar painting called Mariae Himmelfahrt, which is believed to be the work of the Venetian painter Tintoretto.

During World War II, the Gothic stained glass windows were destroyed.Albert Birkle, an artist from Salzburg, was commissioned to redesign his artwork, which was deemed “degenerate” during the Third Reich.The main themes of his work revolved around the resurrection and suffering of Jesus. However, his stained glass windows caused controversy in the 1950s as they depicted Hitler and Mussolini alongside those who tormented Christ.This church is one of the few that displays images of the two dictators.

The impressive organ, built by Rieger (Vorarlberg), was completed in 1970.The slider chest instrument is equipped with 46 registers spread across three manuals and a pedal.The mechanical action is responsible for the key movement, while the electric action controls the stopping mechanism.Contrary to what is suggested in the prospectus, the pedals are not located on both sides of the towers. In fact, the majority of the pedal pipes can be found in the left tower, while the right tower is home to the Hauptwerk.Due to the symmetrical design of the prospectus, only the seven largest pipes on the C sharp side of the Principal 16′ are positioned in front of the Hauptwerk.The Schwellwerk is located behind the console, positioned under the window.The work involves replacing an organ that was originally built in 1900 by Matthäus Mauracher.