Stiegenkirche

The Stiegenkirche is a Roman Catholic church located in the first district of Graz, specifically in the Inner City.The entrance to the location can be accessed via a distinctive staircase located behind the row of houses on Sporgasse.The Stiegenkirche in Graz is part of the Graz cathedral parish, specifically the Graz-Mitte deanery within the Graz city church.

The Stiegenkirche holds the distinction of being the oldest parish church in Graz.The location of the place is in the oldest part of Graz, where the “Paulsburg” used to be situated. It was first documented in 1343 in an indulgence grant.

The name of the church, “Sand Paulsstiegen,” can be traced back as early as 1468.During the mid-16th century, it appears that the Stiegenkirche was rarely utilized, and by 1554, no services were being conducted there.In 1588, Archduke Karl II generously granted the Stiegen church and a house to his chaplain and court music director, Aurelius Mancinus von Pergola. This was done with the intention of providing a place for the Augustinian hermits’ convent.

The construction of the new church and monastery by the Augustinian hermits began in 1619, and it was built over the old Pauluskirche. The majority of the construction was finished by 1627.The presence of a date, 1631, on the inside of the church door suggests that construction work on the church may have been finished around that time.Antonio Solar rebuilt the staircase around 1636.Emperor Joseph II dissolved the monastery of the Augustinian hermits in 1784, marking the end of its existence.

The Stiegenkirche served as the church of the Jesuits from 1886 to 1957.The church was damaged by a bomb in 1945 during the Second World War. It was subsequently rebuilt between 1950 and 1953, following the architectural plans of Franz Klammer.A separate church rectorate has been established since 1957.

The church underwent a renovation in 1962, which was carried out according to plans by the architect Kurt Weber-Mzell.The interior of the venue was redesigned by the diocesan liturgy commission and a working group consisting of architects Edda Gellner, Fritz Neuhold, and Karl Raimund Lorenz, in honor of the Austrian Catholic Day.The sandstone Madonna in the church courtyard was created by Alfred Schlosser, a sculptor from West Styria.