St. Egid Church

The Roman Catholic parish church of Klagenfurt-St. Egid is located in the Carinthian municipality of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee.The parish church of St. Gidius is part of the deanery of Klagenfurt-Stadt, which is part of the diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt.

There was an ancient church building on the site of today’s St. Egid Church, which was first documented in 1255 as the vicariate of Maria Saal and was granted parish rights in 1303.The first written reference of a church was “sand Gilgen” (St. Egid) in 1347.Three priests were named in the church of St. Egid in the schematism in 1519, and the church was renovated in 1540.

Existing city plans from 1605 and 1649 show the shape of the first church.The Gothic high chancel, seven altars, a projecting transept, and two spired towers joined by a covered wooden walkway were all features of the church.

From 1563 until the church’s re-Catholicization in 1600, evangelical services were held there.The keeping of baptismal registrations began in 1571.Johannes Herold served as cantor beginning in 1593.The parish gained independence in 1603.

The parsonage was devastated by fires in 1535 and 1636. In 1636, a fire destroyed the Romanesque ossuary.The church was struck by earthquakes in 1571, 1680, and 1688. The Romanesque church was destroyed as a result of the damage in 1690.

On September 8, 1697, Bishop Kaspar von Lavant dedicated the rebuilt church. On July 30, 1692, Klagenfurt burgrave J.F. Count Orsini-Rosenberg lay the foundation stone for the new tower.The new peal was rung for the first time in 1706, and the tower was finished in 1709.The church and tower were once again damaged by fire in 1723.Following that, the tower was outfitted with a baroque onion dome.With a height of 91.7 meters, it is Carinthia’s second highest church tower after Villach’s town parish tower and one of Klagenfurt’s two monuments.A guided tour of the tower gallery includes a stop at the 50-meter-high viewing platform.

The new church is a four-bay gallery church with a two-bay square chancel.Several barrel vaults with lunettes are supported by stucco lustro pilasters with elaborate capitals.A belt arch on pillars denotes the triumphal arch.The structure is completed by four side chapels with cross vaults and baroque windows.The lunette windows in the galleries are also from the Baroque period.

The new high altar was built in 1729, and it was replaced for the first time in 1742 and again in 1780 by the high altar that has been in use since then.

Benedikt Bläß produced a baroque pulpit that is considered one of the most beautiful in Carinthia around 1740; her main focus is the aspect of penance.Under Lorenz Klein, the Holy Main devotion was established in 1749.Ceiling frescoes by Fromiller and Mölckh were installed in 1760/61.

The parish had two branch churches at the time: Holy Spirit (consecrated in 1639) and Kreuzbergl (consecrated in 1742).The cemetery in front of the church, which served as the town’s burial ground, was abandoned in 1772.St. Egid had 9689 members in 1780, with 8344 of them being “communicants.”Emperor Joseph II governed the now three city parishes in 1784.

The ceiling had to be renovated due to storm damage caused by two hurricanes between 1817 and 1827.A new bell was inaugurated in this context in 1827.The legal relationship between the parish and the Gurk cathedral chapter was severed in 1832.The church’s interior was rebuilt between 1859 and 1861.The church tower was restored again in 1877.

Architect Franz Schachner restored the front in 1893, and a statue of Maria Lourdes has been in the northeast corner of the chapel since 1895.Novak built a new church organ in 1906.The row of homes along the old ring wall (including the organist’s house) was removed to make way for the Heuplatz in 1909.

During World War I, the church bells were dismantled and carried away.In 1924, a new ringing was inaugurated, consisting of the poor souls, Floriani, Marien, heroes, and motherland bell.The bells were removed again for war purposes in 1942, with the exception of the house bell.The church faced significant constraints during National Socialism.During the devastating bombardments in Klagenfurt, the church and vicarage were mostly unharmed.

The Church Music Association of St. Egid was established in 1932.The Christkönigskirche and the new priest’s home on the Lendkanal were also dedicated in 1932.The parish of St. Hemma was established in 1972 by dividing a region north-west of St. Egid.

The current vicarage was erected between 1964 and 1965.The church was renovated inside from 1969 to 1974, and the outside, including the tower, from 1982 to 1984.

Ernst Fuchs planned the south sacristy as a chapel beginning in 1989.

The church acquired new bells in 1990, an organ from the Czech organ building company Rieger-Kloss in 1992, and a complete repair in 2006.In 2006 and 2007, the parsonage was extended, and an underground parking garage was erected.